A Pasta Salad with Asian flavors is all we needed for our weekend brunch. This Salad has a Spicy Peanut Dressing and is topped with toasted sesame seeds to extra flavor. 

Course: Pasta, Salad

Cuisine: Asian, Thai

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad –

  • ▢Spaghetti – ½ lb
  • ▢Carrot – ½ cup grated
  • ▢Bell pepper red or green – ½ cup (finely chopped)
  • ▢Spring onions – 2 stalks sliced
  • ▢Cilantro – about ½ cup finely chopped
  • ▢Sesame seeds – 1 TBSP

For the Peanut Dressing –

  • ▢Peanut Butter – 1 TBSP
  • ▢Soy Sauce – 2 TBSP
  • ▢Sweet chili sauce – 2 TBSP
  • ▢Toasted sesame oil – 1 tsp
  • ▢Garlic – 2
  • ▢Rice wine vinegar – 1 TBSP
  • ▢Lemon juice – 2 tsp
  • ▢Red chili flakes – ½ tsp or as needed

Instructions

To make the Peanut Dressing –

  • Add all the ingredients mentioned for the sauce in a small blender jar and give it a quick blend until everything is combined. You could mince the garlic finely and also whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. I preferred blending them all together as it is quicker and also gave a even mixture of the dressing.

To make the Salad –

  • Boil plenty of water and add salt to the boiling water. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain it. Run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process and drain.
  • Place the drained pasta in a wide bowl.
  • Add the grated carrot, chopped bell pepper, cilantro and scallion to the same bowl.
  • Pour the dressing over and mix them all together to combine.
  • In a small pan, dry roast the sesame seeds until you hear a popping noise. I used both black and white sesame for color and flavor.
  • Add the toasted sesame seeds to the salad and mix.
  • Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.