A big bowl of noodles, crunchy vegetables and hearty greens tossed in a punchy sweet-savoury dressing makes a pretty great lunch. Hunan Noodle Salad is quick to pull together, holds beautifully in the fridge and is just as good cold or at room temperature.
Fast Easy Asian Noodle Salad
We start with our dressing, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sunflower oil whisked until everything is well combined. Start here because we dress our noodles immediately after cooking.
Next we prepare the vegetables. I‘m using my favourite Asian Slaw mix, just like we used in our Chicken Schnitzel Slaw; Napa cabbage, red pepper, carrot and snow peas into thin julienne strips. And I add a hearty greens mix. If you want a great short cut, use a good pre-cut cold slaw mix.
Last, we cook the chow mein noodles. Below I say “to package directions” but rule breaker that I am, I don’t do that. Personally, I bring the water to a boil, shut down my heat, toss in my noodles and cover to steam for about three minutes. I find this way delicate Chineese noodles don’t overcook and break apart.
Then, we drain our noodles, let them steam for about two minutes to dry slightly then transfer to a large bowl and dress the noodles HOT, with about a third to half of the dressing.
Cover noodles to absorb both the steam and our Hunan sauce. Let stand for about ten minutes to cool.
Add Your Crunchy Vegetable Slaw Mix & Greens
Once our noodles are cool, with that glorious dressing absorbed, we add our vegetables and greens to the bowl. Pour over the remaining dressing (or to taste) and toss thoroughly, making sure the noodles are evenly coated and the vegetables are well distributed.
Let the salad sit for a few minutes before serving so vegetables soften slightly. Finish with sesame seeds, chopped peanuts or crunchy soy kernels.
Serve as-is for a fabulous lunch, or add any protein you like for a more substantial meal.
Why This Salad Works
The key to this noodle salad is the mix of textures. Rapid-cook chow mein noodles give you a tender, chewy base, while the thinly sliced vegetables stay crisp enough to make every bite interesting. While our hearty greens add substance without making the salad feel heavy.
The dressing hits all the right notes: salty soy, sweet brown sugar, sharp rice vinegar, fragrant ginger and garlic, and the unmistakable nuttiness of sesame oil. Sunflower oil keeps it light enough to coat the noodles without overwhelming everything else.
And this is one of those salads that gets better as it sits. The noodles have time to take on the dressing, while the cabbage, peppers, carrots and snow peas retain their crunch. That makes it especially useful for lunch prep or those days when having something ready to pull from the fridge is exactly what dinner needs.
Serving Suggestions
Hunan Noodle Salad is perfectly happy as a vegetarian lunch, especially with chopped peanuts or crunchy soy kernels scattered over the top.
For a heartier meal, add whatever protein you have on hand. Grilled or roasted chicken, leftover pork, shrimp, crispy tofu or even sliced steak all work beautifully.
It also makes a great side dish for a larger Asian-inspired meal. Make a big bowl, let it sit, and serve it at room temperature alongside your favourite protein.
Why I Love It
Some recipes earn their place on a regular rotation simply because they make life easier. This is one of them. This recipe is a riff on a hot dish from a restaurant I used to frequent in my 20’s. One night I plied a kitchen staffer with beers until he deluged their secrets. This has been in my hip pocket ever since.
The noodles cook in 3-minutes, the vegetables are a fast julienne and can be held prepped for days. And the dressing? It comes together in one bowl. So once everything is tossed together, there’s nothing else to do — and you end up with a lunch that’s colourful, fresh and satisfying.
Best of all, it holds. Make it ahead, stash it in the fridge and lunch is ready when you are. That combination of quick, crunchy, flavour-packed and make-ahead is hard to beat.
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Hunan Noodle Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Fast and easy Hunan Noodle Salad combines rapid-cook chow mein noodles, crunchy vegetables, hearty greens and a sweet-savoury soy ginger dressing. It’s a rapid side, a sassy base for any protein and a great make ahead lunch that gets better with time.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 8 oz (225 g) chow mein noodles, rapid-cook
- 1 cup Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly julienned
- 1 large carrot, thinly julienned
- 1 cup snow peas, thinly sliced
- 2 cups hearty greens, thinly sliced — kale, spinach and beet greens work beautifully
For the Hunan Dressing
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
To Serve
- Chopped peanuts or soy kernels
Instructions
- For the dressing, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sunflower oil until the sugar is dissolved and everything is well combined.
- Prepare the vegetables. Slice the Napa cabbage, red pepper, carrot and snow peas into thin julienne strips. Remove any tough stems from the greens, but keep them whole.
- Cook the chow mein noodles according to the package directions. Drain. Let stand and steam for about 2 minutes in the sink to dry slightly. Transfer to a large bowl and coat, while hot with about a third to half of the Hunan sauce. Toss. Cover and allow noodles to absorb the vinaigrette and the steam for about 10 minutes.
- Add vegetables and greens to the noodles. Pour over the remaining dressing (or to taste) and toss thoroughly, making sure the noodles are evenly coated and the vegetables are well distributed.
- Let the salad sit for a few minutes before serving to let the vegetables soften slightly. Finish with chopped peanuts or crunchy soy kernels.
- Serve as-is for a fabulous lunch, or add any protein you like for a more substantial meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Asian
