Glass Noodles Salad (Easy and Vegan)

Before You Start

• No glass noodles on hand? Rice vermicelli is a straight swap.
• Undercook the noodles by a minute, they keep cooking in the residual heat and stay chewy instead of turning mushy.
• Bean sprouts need to be genuinely fresh, crunchy and juicy, not slimy, that's the one ingredient worth being picky about at the shop.
• Can I make this ahead? Prep the vegetables and noodles a few hours early and keep them separate, don't dress it until you're ready to serve, dressed too early it turns watery instead of staying crisp.

My love for Asian food runs deep, thanks to my brother, who introduced me to it years ago and now lives in Asia. This glass noodle salad started as my version of a Southeast Asian dish I kept ordering out, and it became something of a gateway recipe for me, it's what led me to make my noodle Buddha bowl not long after.

From there it snowballed into baked noodles, and more recently my spinach sesame salad, inspired by a trip to Hong Kong. I normally like to emulate a meal I've eaten out by making it my own version, and this one's a keeper: light, fresh, and genuinely filling despite how light it eats, vegan and gluten-free as written, with a miso tahini dressing that flexes easily if you want it saltier, sweeter, or spicier.

Ingredients

Potato starch noodles - sometimes called glass noodles or cellophane noodles, found at your local Asian grocer. Among the best gluten-free noodles for a cold salad.

Carrots and cucumbers - an amazing combination, julienne with a mandolin or julienne slicer. Want cucumber to lead on its own instead? My spicy cucumber salad works the same crunch-and-heat angle.

Red cabbage - shredded or thinly sliced, adds extra crunch.

Peanuts - roasted and salted from the store to save time, or crush whole peanuts yourself. Swap for roasted and salted cashews if that's what you've got.

Bean sprouts - fresh only, canned bean sprouts go mushy and won't give you the crunch this salad depends on. Snow pea sprouts work as a swap if you can't find bean sprouts at all.

Lime - fresh juice only, don't substitute with store-bought.

Sesame oil - a key flavor, use a good quality one, don't skimp. A sprinkle of sesame seeds on top adds even more of that flavor if you want it.

Soy sauce - go gluten-free if you need to, and taste as you go, brands vary a lot in saltiness. My 3 ingredient satay sauce works well as a dressing swap if you want to switch things up.

Fresh ginger and garlic (optional) - grate into the dressing for extra punch. If you like that cross-cultural mash-up instinct, my banana blossom vegan pasta salad plays with the same idea.

Coriander (cilantro) - use fresh, not dried, chop the stems in too, they hold a lot of flavor. Fresh mint works well added in too. My garlic and soy brussels sprouts leans on a similar sesame-soy base if you want that flavor direction elsewhere.

Maple syrup - can be swapped for coconut sugar, adjust the quantity to suit your taste.

Tofu (optional) - add your preferred tofu for extra protein.