It’s a sauce, a dressing, a topping, and no matter how you use it, you’ll go back for more.
Sesame, ginger, scallions. A trio that often travels together around the world. We love the flavor of each separately, but combined their individuality is transformed. Add garlic, and all is right in that world. There isn’t much I won’t top with scallions, and not many a dish without garlic in my house. The sesame and ginger are also weekly visitors.
Catch-up time, what’s easy?
We finally got a few days without rain, so trying to get the garden in order and everything planted has been the priority over cooking. I’m sure the rain will return, but until then it’s grubby clothes and dirty fingernails for me! The pizza oven project is still not finished (rain delays, surprise), so my backyard is still, for the most part, a construction zone with obstacle courses everywhere. This is the time of year I need some simple dishes, especially those ingredients that can be used in more than one way.
Easy, quick, perfect for summer
I love this sauce recipe because it is really quick to make, keeps well for days in the refrigerator, and can be used as a sauce over noodles, a topping for vegetables, or a salad dressing. I really love it over grilled vegetables. There is not much it can’t do, and it’s addicting. It’s also pretty healthful, and not many creamy dressings are!
A hard worker
The sesame makes three appearances here: the tahini, the seeds, and the toasted seed oil, and a little of the latter goes a long ways. However, if you don’t have any tahini on hand, use peanut butter and it will be just as delightful, the toasted sesame oil will dominate and no one will be the wiser. Always buy a butter that is peanuts only, or just peanuts and salt. For the best flavor, you don’t want all the sugar and additives often mixed in to most commercial brands to ‘enhance’ the product in one supposed way or another. Simple is best.
Lots of flavor
Fresh ginger is a must. Cut off a big knob, you don’t really need to measure this. Grated it on the microplane, skin and all unless it is really thick and unappealing. This little step probably takes the most time, and it’s really none at all. Only real maple syrup here please, advice from this Vermonter. You don’t need much, but its absence is definitely felt if not used. You can also substitute raw honey here. The cayenne adds a little zip, but you can increase or decrease the amount depending on your taste, or use a hot sauce of choice.
Always an option
Use liquid aminos if you want to keep this vegan, or substitute Worcester sauce (it contains anchovies) if not.
Start here, and let your imagination take you away
Both the noodle dish and slaw demonstrate how versatile this sauce is. I’ve chosen 100% buckwheat soba noodles as the base for the first recipe, and a lovely purple cabbage from the local farm stand in the slaw. Use your imagination to add whatever you like to either dish. Perhaps some baked tofu chunks or shrimp with the noodles, or some tempeh? You could even mix them with a vegetable noodle like zucchini or squash. The slaw can include whatever veggies you have on hand from carrots to jalapeño peppers.
Hot, room temp, or cold, it’s all good
If you top noodles, serve them warm, room temperature, or delightfully cold. If you use it in a slaw, it will keep nicely for several days. Cook once, eat multiple times!
Sesame and Ginger Soba Noodles
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
- ¼ cup sesame tahini or chunky peanut butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-inch knob ginger, grated
- 2 scallions, white and green separated
- ½ cup soy or oat milk, unsweetened
- 1 tsp. liquid coconut aminos, or Worcester sauce
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. dark amber maple syrup
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ tsp. cayenne powder
- Freshly ground black pepper and a bit of salt
- Buckwheat soba noodles
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until lightly browned and fragrant. Keep an eye on them, they burn quickly. Immediately toss in the food processor. Prep the scallions. Roughly chop the whites and add to the processor; slice the greens thinly on the diagonally and reserve as garnish.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor and buzz up until creamy, but still with a few tiny chunks. Add a bit of salt, taste, and adjust to your own liking. You can also adjust the cayenne as well, or leave it out.
Cook your noodles according to package directions. Drain, and toss with however much sauce you want. I made two little bundles of noodles for the two of us and used just a bit of the sauce. Mix well, tasting, and add more sauce if you like.
Garnish with the greens of the scallions, more sesame seeds, or with chopped peanuts.Add a perky sesame ginger sauce, and you are all set.
Summer Slaw with Sesame, Ginger, and Scallions
- Big bowl of purple or green cabbage, shredded
- One red or orange or yellow or green pepper, sliced
- Or, a hot pepper
- ½ a purple onion
- Couple of scallions, white and green
- Sesame ginger sauce, above
- Juice and zest of a lemon
You can grate or slice the cabbage, or put it through the food processor. If you are making a big batch and want to save some for another meal, place the cabbage in a sieve and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Let this sit for a half hour to draw out any excess moisture. Then rinse well, and dry on a towel.
Slice the onion in similar sized pieces. Slice the scallions, reserving some for garnish.
Mix everything together and add sesame sauce to where you like it, just touched or very creamy, it’s always up to you. I like a little, but you might like a lot. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish.
Copyright 2025– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
Supporter of: Slow Food Fair Trade USA Northeast Organic Farmers Association EcoWatch Let’s Save Our Planet No Kid Hungry Hunger Free Vermont Environmental Working Group World Central KitchenSustainable America Seed Savers Exchange
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The noodles look excellent. I’ve just been making a winter slaw with red cabbage.
Ah, great minds! I just love cabbage, and it is so very good for us, raw or cooked. It’s such a wonderful staple in the winter months, one day part of a boiled dinner, the next a slaw that brings to mind summer picnics.
My heart is singing and mouth watering reading all of this here! The soba noodles are just delightful and i love purple cabbage and methinks all the edible flowers smile a tad extra to be served in such tasty and healthy dishes. And you are the third person today whom I have visited and seen stating clearly they had no bed for AI visitors! Fully agree! Shall advise friends to come and look at your plates . . .
Oh thank you so much Eha! That means a lot to me! ❤️
This whole AI thing has gotten out of hand, and with no regulations, it’s just another one of those threads of technology that can go haywire really fast.
I could eat soba noodles every single day and not tire of them, but with so many other wonderful foods out there, must keep them all happy!
Thank you, Dorothy, for the wonderful combination!
Joanna
I think you’ll enjoy this Joanna!
I love a nice winter slaw and yours is so pretty with those edible flowers, Dorothy…we also have lots of rain atm (rainy season) which means we are gardening between the tropical storms it does dry up quickly being warm xx
This is day four of mostly sunshine, but thunderstorms moving in tomorrow and on and off through the weekend. At least I got a lot in the ground!
I will be trying this!
I think this will bring joy to your day! 🤗
The soba noodles— yum. That dressing sounds perfect. Am saving the recipe, will try soon.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do Ally!
I can only imagine the aroma of the ginger in each dish. So appetizing!
The ginger really makes both of these dishes Jan!
I love a good sesame dressing
They are so flavorful! Thanks for stopping by.
The slaw is simply beautiful.
Thanks M! I agree, it is really pretty, and tasty too.
Plates of tasty goodness, prepared to perfection!!
Thank you! And it’s all good for us too.
My mouth is watering, it sounds amazing!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna! It’s a really good flavor combination and I love it a lot.
Im always looking for new easy-to-make, upf free sauces and dressings. I look forward to giving this one a try.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do; right now, I have a jar of it in the refrigerator that is calling my name for lunch!
Great sauce recipe. I just finished making a spicy chicken salad (w/ spaghettini, grated carrots) w/ a dressing of soya sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, oil. I’ll be giving yours a try. Thanks.
Oh yours sounds delightful as well! So much flavor packed into so few ingredients.
All are so Summer perfect. What creative blends of nature’s burstings of tangy tastes. And, with hot weather activities abound, everyone should eat lightly avoiding bad metabolic upsets. Thanks for this yummy inspiration.
My favorite way to eat these is cold!
I could eat that noodle dish right now Dorothy! You taught me something new (again), I never salted cabbage to remove the excess water.
I learned that on America’s Test Kitchen, one of the ‘how not to have soupy coleslaw’ episodes. It works great! I have found that I get less water out of the purple cabbage, but it seems to make no difference.
This sounds delicious!
Thank you so much! We were happy with it!
Recently we bought soba noodles and used them in a soup. We will definitely use the remainder in your recipe!
I think you will enjoy it! Such a nice combo, and the soba is the perfect canvas!
Yum, Dorothy! This sauce looks tasty.
Thank you Mary! It’s my new obsession. I make a jar every week and use it in any number of ways, and the husband likes it too!
Gorgeous and the slaw looks so pretty 🙂
Thank you! We really do eat with our eyes first, and I try to make everything look appetizing.
The whole meal looks refreshing and perfect for summer!
So delicious! I hope. You try the sauce.
The noodles look delicious and how pretty that cabbage dish is. Almost too pretty to eat. 😉
Almost! But not quite, we enjoyed every bite!
Yes, yes!
Looks good!
Thank you! We love both these dishes.
That summer slaw looks delicious!
Thank you! It really hit the spot!
Excellent post Thanks
Thank you!