Black Sesame Noodles

10-minute noodle dish!

Black Sesame Noodles are delicious and refreshing. Toss noodles with an easy mixture of ponzu and black sesame paste.

Season and eat! Served chilled. Hooray for black sesame everything!

We use black sesame in everything from sweet Black Sesame Soup (soo tasty!) to Black Sesame Soy Milk and Black Sesame Pudding. I could eat black sesame everyday because there are so many ways enjoying.

I love it's warm, nutty and comforting flavor, and that gorgeous deep dark color that seems more like a very dark gray instead of black. Needless to say, I love black sesame!

These noodles are just one more delicious way to enjoy black sesame seeds. We toss ramen noodles with a mixture of black sesame paste and ponzu. The ponzu not only helps to thin out the black sesame paste (which would be too thick to mix alone with noodles), but it gives a savory citrus lift to keep things bright and flavorful.

There's also a little rayu / chili oil (which you can skip but we love). And chopped fresh shiso leaves in the end. I adapted this recipe from The Japanese Pantry.

It's an online store with all sorts of specialty Japanese ingredients (sometimes you can get good deals during their sales). We go through a lot of black and white sesame seeds so their 1kg packages are pretty great.

Here's what you'll need:

• Ramen noodles - Ideally fresh ramen noodles but dried ramen noodles also works. In Hawaii, we love to use Sun Noodle which we can purchase at most supermarkets.
• Black sesame seed paste - Many options here. You can make black sesame paste at home. Or you can buy black sesame paste in jars from Kadoya or pouches from Wadaman. Japanese markets usually carry both the Kadoya and Wadaman options.
• Ponzu
• Rayu - Or use any chili oil you have available at home.
• Roasted black sesame seeds
• Fresh shiso leaves - You can purchase this at Japanese markets.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Let's get cooking: Mix together the black sesame seed paste, ponzu, and rayu in the same bowl that you plan to eat the noodles.

Set aside. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse the noodles under running water until the noodles are cool.

Drain and place the noodles in the bowl with the sauce mixture. Use chopsticks to toss, toss, toss!

Hint: If the sauce mixture seems too thick (and it's hard to mix the sauce with the noodles). Just add a spoonful of warm water to help thin out the sauce

Top with roasted black sesame seeds and thinly sliced shiso leaves. Eat and enjoy.

Substitutions and Variations

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Green onions - Top the dish with chopped green onions. This can be in addition to, or instead of shiso leaves.
• Meat - To add some quick and easy protein to the dish, just slice and pan fry Japanese sausages (or make it like Octopus Hot Dogs). You can also make Shoyu Hot Dogs, a local Hawaii favorite.
• Egg - Top the dish with a very soft boiled egg. You want the yolks to be barely cooked, so that you can mix it with the noodles. It make everything so luscious. We love a super soft boiled egg in other noodle recipes like Mentaiko Udon and Natto Udon.
• Soy sauce - Add a splash (a half-teaspoon or less) of good soy sauce to add another dimension of flavor to the noodles.

Try just one version, or try them all. These are tasty ideas.

Equipment

No special equipment needed (unless you plan to make your own Black Sesame Paste).

Storage

This noodle dish is best fresh, right after it's made. But if you have leftovers, they will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in a sealed container.

No need to reheat, just remove it from the refrigerator for 15 minutes before eating. You want the noodles cool but not straight from the refrigerator cold.

Top Tip

Make sure to rinse the cooked ramen noodles under running water very well.

If you just drain and skip the rinsing part, the noodles will clump together. That will make it very hard to mix the noodles with the sauce.

Sometimes we like to mix a teaspoon of sesame oil with the noodles (after rinsing) to be doubly sure that the noodles won't stick together. FAQ Looking for more black sesame recipes?

We have many! From sweet to savory, I love black sesame everything 🙂 Black Sesame Soup - one of my all time favorite desserts.

This warm Chinese black sesame soup is so nourishing.

Black Sesame Sauce On Steamed Tofu

Black Sesame Toast - great for breakfast!

Black Sesame Paste

Black Sesame Soy Milk - a super tasty drink, especially when you're making the soy milk from scratch.

Black Sesame and Soy Milk Pudding

More easy noodle recipes? Try making these!

Some of the recipes call for specific noodles and others are flexible in the type of noodles you can use. Try them all ^_^

Sesame Noodles

Does it have to be fresh ramen noodles? This dish is best with fresh ramen noodles, but you can also make it with dried noodles.

The taste will be slightly different, but still good! You can also try making it with udon noodles. Both udon and fresh ramen noodles also freeze well, so it's wise to keep both in the freezer!

You'll never regret have frozen noodles ready for last minute meals.