Asian Noodle Salad

This salad seemed like a great idea to toss together for dinner. It would use up a bunch of the veggies we had on hand and it sounded tasty and relatively quick and easy to make. While all of these things were true, I have some questions about their portioning.

The recipe says "serves 6". I argue that, recipe as written, this salad would serve at least a dozen, possibly closer to twenty! It was not actually physically possible to make this one "recipe as written" because I ran out of room! I did use 1.5x as many noodles as the original recipe called for, but I only put in 1/4 the cabbage, 2/3 the cucumber, and none of the scallions, kale, or peanuts. I have no idea how you're actually supposed to construct or mix this salad if you actually use the full amounts of everything!

I will try to provide instructions and proportions for a slightly more practical version of this salad below. (I've also tweaked the dressing slightly as I wasn't entirely happy with the original version.)

Asian Noodle Salad
Adapted from Food Network/Pioneer Woman
200g whole wheat or multi-grain spaghetti
100g bean sprouts
100g julienne carrots
1 large bell pepper (or 100g baby bell peppers), thinly sliced
1 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, sliced
2-4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 bunch of kale, shredded
1/2 c. peanuts, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried (optional)

Dressing
1/4 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. During the last minute of cooking, add the bean sprouts.
3. Drain noodles and bean sprouts and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and prevent sticking.
4. Add remaining salad ingredients and toss.
5. Whisk together all dressing ingredients.
6. Pour dressing over salad and toss again.
7. Optionally, serve topped with fried onions.

I think this salad would be really good with a bit of fried extra-firm tofu tossed in as well. I feel like having that bit of extra protein would help balance it out and make it a more complete meal.

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Adaptations

Vegetarian Version

This is basically a vegetarian dish already. Just make sure to use vegetarian "oyster" sauce (actually made from mushrooms).

Vegan Version

Asian Noodle Salad
Adapted from Food Network/Pioneer Woman
200g whole wheat or multi-grain spaghetti
100g bean sprouts
100g julienne carrots
1 large bell pepper (or 100g baby bell peppers), thinly sliced
1 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, sliced
2-4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 bunch of kale, shredded
1/2 c. peanuts, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried (optional)

Dressing
1/4 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. firmly packed vegan brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine

Gluten-Free Version

Asian Noodle Salad
Adapted from Food Network/Pioneer Woman
200g brown rice spaghetti
100g bean sprouts
100g julienne carrots
1 large bell pepper (or 100g baby bell peppers), thinly sliced
1 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, sliced
2-4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 bunch of kale, shredded
1/2 c. peanuts, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried (optional)

Dressing
1/4 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp. gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp. wheat-free oyster sauce (such as Panda Brand Green Label)
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. dry sherry

FODMAP-Friendly Version

Asian Noodle Salad
Adapted from Food Network/Pioneer Woman
200g brown rice spaghetti
100g bean sprouts
100g julienne carrots
1 large bell pepper (or 100g baby bell peppers), thinly sliced
1 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced
2-4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 head of green or red cabbage, shredded
1/2 bunch of kale, shredded
1/2 c. peanuts, chopped
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed and fried (optional)

Dressing
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. garlic-infused oil
3 Tbsp. c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. c. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine