Chilled Cucumber Noodles
This refreshing cold noodle recipe is the perfect antidote to summer heat. A base of cucumber broth is made by blending cucumbers, stirring in ice and seasoning simply with vinegar and sugar. Ripe tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and sweet onions add crunch. If you want to bring a bit more heft to the dish, add shredded rotisserie chicken or thinly sliced roasted turkey along with the noodles. Just make sure to slurp up the broth at the end.
Yield: 4 servings
1 whole English cucumber (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, smashed
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar
Salt
1 cup cold water
2 cups ice
½ medium sweet onion (about 4 ounces)
1 (9.5-ounce package) somen noodles (3 bunches)
2 ripe red tomatoes (about 1 pound), thinly sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Olive oil, for drizzling
Take half of the cucumber slices, give them a rough chop and add them to the bowl of a blender, a food processor, or place in a medium mixing bowl if you are using an immersion blender. Add the garlic, white wine vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 cup cold water into the bowl with the sliced cucumbers and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cucumber mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the ice until melted. Set the cucumber broth in the fridge while you prepare the onion and noodles.
Thinly slice the onion and rinse the slices under cold water. Drain and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions, about 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water, until the noodles are cold and feel a little bouncy in your hands. Shake as much water as you can out of the cooled noodles and divide them into four bowls. Divide the cucumber broth between the bowls and top each with sliced tomatoes, basil, onion and the remaining sliced cucumber. Give each bowl a healthy drizzle of olive oil and serve right away.
TIP: The cucumber broth is so good! Couldn't find somen noodles so I used vermicelli rice noodles instead. Threw some sliced jalapeno in top. Delicious and perfect for a hot day.
Very refreshing and flexible. Added tofu for protein. Subbed lemon basil for regular basil, giving a lighter, summery herb note. Topped with a smattering of freshly minced habanero chile. Next time, will try with fresh shrimp or scallops, Thai basil, Thai chiles, and sesame oil.
Also, I needed only 1/2c water. Suggest adding water slowly to avoid watered down flavor as some cukes have more “juice”. I removed the seeds and sliced with a mandoline.
