Yid.Dish: Chilled Peanut-Sesame Noodles

Image by JCarrot
This is a wonderful Parve side dish that I’ve been making for the past five years. Ask anyone in my family and they’ll tell you it’s a favorite at home. (My dad especially loves it). This recipe is simple and delicious and can be made up to a day in advance.
When I make this dish I usually use whole wheat spaghetti instead of regular. My little brother will not eat anything made of whole wheat because of the color and my Dad does not like the taste. What’s great about this dish is that the sauce disguises the color and flavor of the pasta!
About ½ of a package of thin spaghetti (Cook a little al dente unless you are using whole wheat pasta)
1.5 tbsp of creamy peanut butter
3-4 tbsp of soy sauce (I usually use low sodium and it still tastes great)
3-4 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger powder
A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional depending how big of a kick you want)
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds to mix into the sauce and it’s nice to have extra on hand for garnish
2 small thinly sliced scallions for garnish
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Meanwhile, in a big bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut butter until it forms a smooth, caramel colored sauce. It may take a minute or two before the peanut butter really mixes with the soy sauce and sesame oil to form the desired texture so don’t be discouraged! Next, mix in the ginger, cayenne, and the 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.
When the spaghetti is ready, drain and let it cool for a minute. Once the pasta is cooled, pour it into your bowl with the sauce. Mix the spaghetti until it is completely covered with the sauce. If you see that the pasta is too dry, go ahead and add a dash more sesame oil or soy sauce or both.
Next, sprinkle your scallions and extra sesame seeds on top. Let the noodles cool in the fridge for around an hour or until you are ready to serve. It can be served at room temperature too, but trust me it tastes great cold.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!
B’tei Avon
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.