What I have had just had crush Ramen noodles in it, not cooked at all. In fact, I think there are several versions of it that are just called Ramen Noodle Salad.

I'll bet it was a variation on this....

Bok Choy Salad
2 bunches of bok choy or a large napa cabbage or even just green cabbage, through the food processor on the 4 mm. slicing blade ( cut some of the dark green off but not all)
2 bunches of green onions also sliced same
2, 5 oz packages ramen noodles ( flavor packet tossed in trash!!)
1/2 stick of butter
3 T sugar
a small pkg sliced almonds
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 cup oil ..make part of that oil toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup vinegar, rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce 2 cloves garlic, crushed ( I start with less soy sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Slice bok choy and onion......saute noodles ( broken up) in butter with sugar nuts and seeds and remove to paper towel when lightly browned. Add oil, vinegar and flavorings to veggies and refrigerate for at least an hour and add sauteed noodles and nuts just before serving.

Nope....not ramen noodles. These were very thin and almost transparent. The worker said they were rice noodles.

Linda that recipe could be close. It's a good place to start, I'll try it and tweak as needed (if needed). Thanks!

Linda

There is a local chain here in the Sacramento area that serves a popular noodle salad. The recipe is on this page. It might be similar to what you have enjoyed.

Here is a link that might be useful: La Bou Asian Noodle Salad

The salad sounded like a mixture of Thai and Chinese salad.

Raman noodles are egg noodles. This rice noodles are sometimes called glass noodles because of its transparent look. You will find them in asian supermarkets as packaged dried. They will have a dull look, not transparent. It will only take a 2-4 minutes to boil them. When done cooked (al dante), they will look transparent. Then, quickly rinse under cold water. Otherwise, they will become mushy and will fall apart.

As what other ingredients for the salad, it's all up to your taste. Most vegetables are steamed/boiled lightly, enough to retain their crunchiness.

As for the sesame dressing, it's a wide variety. Sort of like not all hamburger recipes are the same. Try this recipe at the link below. Or, you may want to google until you find a recipe that resembles what you had. While at it, you may want to google Glass Noodle Salad and find a recipe closes to the one you ate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sesame dressing recipe

Chow-mein noodles are also egg noodles, not rice.

Well I tried Linda's salad and it's good, but not even close to the one I am trying to recreate.

I am not sure how they did the rice noodles. I tried sauteeing (what a mess I made. They don't break up easily like ramen noodles do!) and that did not work. I boiled for a minute per the package directions but that wasn't right, either.

Theirs were almost like they were undercooked. They held their shape, but were not crunchy.

I'll google glass noodles and see what I come up with.

It was more like a slaw, I think.

Linda

Linda, go back to the store and buy some. Put it on a plate and take a picture.

Sounds good....but hard to figure out.

Nancy

I place glass noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let stand a few minutes, then drain and refresh with cold water. Be aware there are two kinds of glass noodles, rice ones and bean ones. To cut glass noodles to fit them in a bowl you should use scissors as they are very tough and if you try to break them as you would raw spaghetti, they tend to shatter into little pieces and spray all over the kitchen :-)

Linda, sorry to hear you're having difficulties. Welcome to the world of asian noodles. They come in a huge variety of shapes and forms. To confuse us more, they each are called with so many different names. Hey, don't feel so bad, even I get confuse sometimes with all the varieties. See the link below for some assistance.

Even the glass noodles come in different thickness. The thinner they are, the less time it takes to boil them. Other common names for these type of noodles are cellophane noodles and bean thread noodles.

The glass noodles, if used in sautee style, first, you'd need to soak them in warm water for a few minutes to soften. Then, you can sautee the noodles. Maybe, that's what went wrong with your dish.

In making the salad that you've mentioned, you don't sautee the glass noodles. Just boil for a couple of minutes as I mentioned above, drain and toss it with other vegetables, meat or seafood, and sesame sauce.

Here is a link that might be useful: Glass Noodles - Bean Thread Noodles

Linda, you've mentioned that the salad used sesame dressing. If it was a dressing, then the glass noodles were just boiled, rinsed and drained. Then, tossed in with your choice of ingredients (lightly cooked) and mixed with Sesame Dressing.

If you saw the lady sautee the dish, the glass noodles were soaked first; then, quickly sautee with other precooked ingredients. She then, would have used Sesame SAUCE to season the dish. Sesame Sauce is a bit thicker and richer in taste than Sesame Dressing.

I've been looking blindly (glass noodles salad are mostly created with the cook/chef's choice of ingredients) for a similar recipe that could help you but haven't found one yet. I will post it when I see it.

To cut glass noodles to fit them in a bowl you should use scissors as they are very tough and if you try to break them as you would raw spaghetti, they tend to shatter into little pieces and spray all over the kitchen :-)

LOL Colleen....that is EXACTLY what happened! I had to get the vaccum out to get all of the little pieces of noodle cleaned up!

Nancy, I will have to wait until the cafeteria serves it again and then I will get some to bring home.

ntt_hou thank you for the good info. I am on a mission to figure this salad out! LOL

Linda

Nnt, can you also deep fry glass noodles? Which are the noodles that turn white and crisp when deep fried? They're sometimes used in restaurants with Mongolian Beef. I used to make them quite frequently years ago for "Chinese Chicken Salad." This discussion has reminded me that I should make it again.

Shambo, I'm not awared of any dish calls for deep fried glass noodles so I don't know if they can or cannot be deep fried. However, those rice noodles that you've deep fried before are not the same type as glass noodles. They're called rice vermicelli noodles.

Here's a link that defined some Asian noodles: http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com/2010/03/know-your-noodle.html

Linda, please check the link below and see if this is similar to your glass noodle salad but without the prawns.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thai Glass Noodle Salad with Sesame Dressing

That looks good, but still, the noodles in all of these are cooked until soft.

I think I can figure out the ingredients and the dressing, but those darn noodles have me confounded! I am going to have to talk to one of the kitchen staff and ask more questions, I think.

Linda

Do a Google image search for Asian Noodle Salad. Loads come up. See if one looks like the one you had. It is a start.
Jo

I would ask somebody in food service at the cafeteria. Surely someone knows more than the one you talked to. I would call and ask who is in charge of the kitchen. It sounds like you talked to one of the servers and not the cook.

One Mark Bittman's new cooking show on The Cooking Channel he made spring rolls and then made a salad out of the same ingredients for those not wanting to take the time to roll. I know it's not what you're looking for but it might give you a starting place.

Here is a link that might be useful: Summer roll salad link

epicurious.com
Asian Noodle Salad

Gourmet : August 2001

yield: Makes 6 side-dish servings
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
* 3/4 lb cellophane noodles (rice noodles)
* 1 cup coarsely shredded carrot
* 3 scallions, cut crosswise into thirds and thinly sliced lengthwise
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
* 6 radishes, halved and thinly sliced

Preparation

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger.

Put the rice (cellophane) noodles in hot water and let sit for 10 mins. then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.
Toss with dressing, carrot, scallions, sesame seeds, and radishes in a large bowl.

This is the one I use all the time. Very tasty.

Linda

And this is one I'd like to suggest. You need to use a Rice based, not Wheat based, noodle. Shrimp can be eliminated but they are so good. I also will add shredded Cabbage if I have some around.

ASIAN SHRIMP AND RICE NOODLES

1# peeled and deveined cooked Shrimp

� one half Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Zest and Juice of 2 Limes
2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
3 Teaspoons Thai Garlic Chili Paste
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
6 Scallions, finely sliced

In a small bowl, whisk to combine, reserve half to marinate the Shrimp. Toss the Shrimp with half the marinade. Place in covered container in refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours.

Cooked Rice Noodles
1 Carrot, shredded
Snow Pea Pods, julienned
1 Cucumber, thinly sliced and julienned
1 Cup Cilantro Leaves

Place Noodles, Carrot, Snow Peas, Cucumber and Cilantro in a large bowl, toss with the remaining dressing. Put on a large plate and top with the marinated Shrimp, garnish with Lime Wedges.

the term rice noodles is sometimes used to describe cellophane noodles, glass noodles, long rice , this product is made with mung bean flour not rice, the noodles which is called vermicelli ,rice stick noodles, mai fun is made from rice flour, both can be deep fried(as shambo wrote) but be careful a little goes a long way.
a book Noodles by Nina Simonds is excellent in explaining asian noodles and substitutions and very good recipes , try e bay or amazon.

I don't know if this is anything close to what you had, but we love this asian salad.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pioneer Woman Asian Noodle Salad

For a potluck party last year, I made an asian noodle salad for the first time. I pulled up several recipes and sort of used my instinct as to what to keep and what to discard. I also did a lot of tasting when it came to adding seasonings. I remember adding rice vinegar, in addition to sesame oil. I would suggest writing down what you do to finally get a good result. Good luck, and I hope you post your final recipe!

Linda,

Did the seasame dressing taste like it had peanuts in it?

Kathy

I made glass noodles.

I will post later in a separate thread.

dcarch