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Cold spicy rice noodles with smashed zucchini

This dish is in the spirit of cold Sichuan noodles, similar to cold peanut noodle dish, but less nutty. Raw zucchini doesn’t have much flavour. It needs to be cooked to bring out sweetness and earthiness. So here, I sprinkled it with salt to draw out moisture and flavor. The salt also tenderizes the flesh, just enough to transform it from hard to crunchy. I tossed the zucchini with cold rice noodles, and a spicy and acidic seasoning sauce.

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A bowl of noodles topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro, zucchini, and a light sauce, served in a scalloped white dish on a marble surface.

The brand of chili oil or crisp you use will affect the overall spiciness and flavour of the seasoning sauce. I use my homemade Everything Oil recipe from To Asia, With Love or the Umami Crisp from Tenderheart but use your favourite brand of chili crisp or oil. Someone asked for my favorite commercial brand the other day. That was a harder question to answer than I thought because the market is saturated with them at the moment – I like to keep things basic, I love this Mala chili crisp by Yunhai Shop, Chiu Chow chili oil and of course, the OG, Lao Gan Ma.

I like to use a chili crisp/oil which already has good amounts of garlic and mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorns. If the brand you use does not contain those ingredients, you can easily grate in 1 small clove of garlic or add a small amount of crushed Sichuan peppercorns.

Cold spicy rice noodles with smashed zucchini

Serves

Ingredients

3 zucchini (about 600g / 21 ounces)
sea salt
300 g wide rice noodles or dried wheat noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
handful coriander/cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
60 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Spicy sauce

3 tablespoons chilli crisp/oil, plus more to serve
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon white or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 -1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed (optional)
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini

Instructions

Lay the zucchini on a chopping board. Using the side of a wide knife or a rolling pin, gently smack them until they break apart (be careful, they will want to fly off the board). Tear or cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the smashed zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with a 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes to draw out any excess water. Drain off any liquid and pat dry with paper towel or a clean tea towel.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and then run under water until completely cold. Add the sesame oil, toss well to coat the noodles (to prevent sticking) and place them into the fridge.
In a large bowl (big enough to toss the noodles), add the chili crisp or oil, black vinegar, soy sauce or tamari, sugar, cumin, Sichuan peppercorns (if using), sesame paste or tahini and 1 tablespoon of water and whisk to combine. Taste to make sure you are happy with the flavour - it should be nicely balanced with saltiness and acid with a hint of sweetness - and adjust if needed.
Remove the noodles from the fridge and loosen them by tossing them with your hands. If they have clumped together, run under cold water and then drain. Place the noodles into the bowl with the spicy sauce, and add the zucchini. Toss until well combined. To serve, top with peanuts, coriander/cilantro and more chili crisp/oil, if you like.