Orange Bean-Thread Noodle Salad with Crisp Vegetables

Flavored with an orange-infused sesame-ginger dressing, this bean-thread noodle salad is a perfect accompaniment to your favorite tofu or tempeh dish. Perfect for warm weather, this dish is more about the vegetables than the noodles.

Minimally cooked snow peas or snap peas, bok choy, bell pepper, and baby corn are really the stars of this dish, with the noodles and dressing tying the ingredients together.

About bean-thread noodles

Bean-thread noodles are also known as cellophane noodles and glass noodles, among other names. You may find them marketed as mung bean noodles (or mung bean vermicelli), glass noodles, Korean glass noodles (japchae), saifun, or harusame.

They’re a staple in Southeast Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and the Philippines. You’ll find lots more details about bean-threads here.

Silky and pleasantly slippery when cooked, these fast-cooking noodles honestly don’t have a lot going for them in terms of nutrition, but add a fantastic textural element to vegetable-rich dishes like this one. Learn lots more in this site’s Guide to Bean-Thread Noodles.

Noodle substitutions: Feel free to swap in an equivalent amount of fine Asian rice noodles, or soba (buckwheat noodles).

Complete the meal

• As mentioned above, this dish of minimally cooked vegetables and bean-thread noodles goes well with any simple tofu or tempeh dish.
• If you want to stick to an orange theme, try Sweet and Savory Glazed Orange Tofu. A good companion with bit of a flavor contrast is Easy Tofu Teriyaki.
• Similarly,  Simple Sesame Teriyaki Tempeh is a great pairing, too.

Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

You may also like: Vietnamese-Style Bean-Thread Noodles with Tomatoes & Cabbage

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Yield: 4

Orange Bean-Thread Noodle Salad with Crisp Vegetables

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Flavored with an orange-infused sesame-ginger dressing, this bean-thread noodle salad is a perfect accompaniment to your favorite tofu or tempeh dish. 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• Juice and grated zest of 1 medium orange
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

The rest

• 4 to 6 ounces bean-thread noodles
• 2 cups snow peas or snap peas, trimmed (steam very briefly if you’d like, or use raw)
• 1 baby bok choy or 2 to 3 medium stalks bok choy, thinly sliced
• 15-ounce can baby corn, drained
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into long, thin strips
• 1/4 to 1/2 loosely packed cup chopped cilantro leaves, to taste, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Dried hot red pepper flakes or sriracha to taste (or to pass around)

Instructions

1. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
2. Cook the noodles following package directions, then drain well. Combine
   the noodles with about 3/4 of the dressing and let stand while preparing the
   vegetables, or about 10 minutes, to allow them to absorb some of it.
3. Add the vegetables and remaining dressing to the noodles and toss
   together gently. Taste to adjust the flavors, using more of any of the dressing
   ingredients you’d like.
4. Serve at room temperature. Pass around red pepper flakes or sriracha if you didn’t add them to the dish, or for anyone who wants to spice up their portion.

See lots more salads & sides and pasta & noodle recipes.