Spicy Cashew Scallion Noodles
I love a saucy, nutty noodle, and this one—which just so happens to be vegan!—takes the form to the next level. The key is a batch of spicy, garlicky cashews, sizzled in hot oil and then poured into a sieve to keep them crisp and crunchy. The hot oil that streams through blooms the aromatics held in the bowl below: fragrant ginger and sliced scallion whites, which become the base of a slick tahini sauce.
Because you’ll use a good amount of the starchy noodle cooking liquid to loosen the sauce, too much seasoning in the water can easily tip the finished product over into too salty territory. Season the pot of boiling water very lightly—and use more cooking liquid than you think you’ll need in the sauce, as it’ll continue to thicken as it sits.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Remove dark green parts from 8 scallions and thinly slice on a diagonal; set aside for serving. Thinly slice remaining white and pale green parts. Place in a large bowl and add one 1" piece ginger, finely grated; place a fine-mesh sieve over bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add ½ cup raw cashews, finely chopped, and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 1–2 minutes. Add 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, and 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly to keep garlic from sticking to bottom of pan, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into reserved sieve, letting hot oil heat aromatics in bowl below. Set sieve with cashews aside. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar to oil mixture and whisk until dissolved. Add ⅓ cup tahini, ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and ¼ cup black (Chinkiang) vinegar or balsamic vinegar and whisk until smooth.
Step 3
Cook 12 oz. wide wheat noodles (such as knife-cut, pappardelle, or tagliatelle) in a large pot of very lightly salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 2 cups noodle cooking liquid.
Step 4
Transfer noodles to bowl with sauce and toss, drizzling noodle cooking liquid as needed to loosen, until coated. Add reserved dark green scallion parts and garlicky cashews and toss to combine; divide noodles among bowls.
