Vegetable-filled Taiwanese cold noodles with fava beans, summer squash, crunchy cucumber, fresh whole wheat udon noodles, and a flavorful tahini sauce. For a quick weeknight meal, use store-bought dried udon noodles to make this 35-minute recipe.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, and salt) together with a whisk. Create a well in the center and add water. Mix dry ingredients with the water using your hands or a fork. Knead dough in the bowl until dough comes together as a shaggy mass.
Transfer dough to a flat surface lightly dusted with flour and knead until flour is well incorporated. Shape the dough into an oval disk.
Cover the dough in an air-tight container and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, prepare vegetables, herbs, and dressing.
fava beans:
Open fava bean pods by breaking the tip, removing the string as if unzipping the pod, and opening the pod down the seam with your thumb. Remove fava beans and set aside.
Fill a 1.5-quart saucepan with water and bring to boil. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, prepare an ice water bath in a medium mixing bowl.
Blanch and shock fava beans by placing in boiling water until they turn brighter green (about 1-2 minutes), strain, and place in ice water.
Remove thin, waxy outer shell by gently squeezing the fava beans out.
tahini dressing:
Combine chopped garlic, grated turmeric, tahini, honey (or cane sugar for a vegan option), warm water, vinegar, and soy sauce into a small food processor. Blend until smooth.
making whole wheat udon noodles:
Cut rested dough in half and place the other half back in the covered container.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until ⅛ - ¼ inch thick based on your preference. Note that the thickness will slightly expand when cooked.
Lightly flour the top surface of the rolled out dough and gently fold the dough widthwise 3 times.
Slice into ½ inch wide strips along the length of the dough. Unravel each piece into strands of noodles, toss with some flour and set aside.
Repeat steps 1-4 for the other half of dough.
cooking and assembly
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a medium pot. Cook fresh noodles for 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness and desired texture. Note: Keep the water on a gentle boil so the noodles don’t break apart.
Strain and toss cooked noodles with prepared dressing while the noodles are still warm. If you like a firmer al dente texture, rinse cooked noodles in a strainer with cold water before dressing.
Combine the prepared vegetables with dressed noodles. Mix and serve warm, at room temperature, or cold later on.
notes
MEAL PREP OPTION: The fresh noodles can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Make sure to dust the noodles with flour before storing to prevent sticking. Prepared vegetables and sauce can be stored separately in the refrigerator for an easy meal. To assemble on a weeknight, just cook the noodles, mix with sauce, and combine with toppings when ready to eat.FOR A QUICK WEEKNIGHT MEAL: Use store-bought dried udon noodles to make this a quick 35-minute recipe. Cook the dried noodles according to the package directions right before you start making the dressing. Rinse with cold water, strain, and dress right before eating.MAKE WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR: If you don't mind mincing your garlic instead of a rough chop, you can make this dressing without a food processor. In this case, just combine all the dressing ingredients into a small mixing bowl or dressing container (*affiliate link) and whisk until smooth.VEGAN OPTION: Replace honey with 1 teaspoon of granulated cane sugar in the dressing.
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