As I’m sure many of you do, I tend to watch a lot of food reels and videos when I’m scrolling through social media. I find that it’s a great way to quickly get new ideas for meals (and restaurant recommendations) when I feel uninspired.
I recently started seeing people make a version of a pasta salad, but with a dressing similar to Asian cold sesame noodles (both summer favorites of mine). Most interestingly, the dish was made with potstickers or dumplings, instead of regular pasta.
At first, I thought it sounded crazy, but the more I thought about it, I’ve used mini ravioli and tortellini, both stuffed pastas, in a more traditional pasta salad, and they were delicious and made the dish into a more substantial meal rather than a side dish. I also love Asian flavors so I knew I had to try this idea out for myself!
You can change this recipe to suit your own tastes or use what you have on hand. I always have a pantry full of Asian condiments/staples like garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili crisp, so I like that this doesn’t require a huge shopping list.
This dish gets extra points because it can be enjoyed warm, room temperature or cold which makes it a great option for picnics, trips to the beach, etc. If you’re planning to enjoy it right away, avocado would be a great addition!
While you can absolutely make your own dumplings, I think there are lots of great fresh/frozen options out there. If you’re lucky enough to be in a city like Chicago that has a Chinatown and/or a plethora of Asian markets (H Mart, Gangnam Market), you won’t have any trouble finding delicious options to use that also save you a ton of time.
Gangnam Market
You can opt to boil, steam, or pan fry the dumplings for this recipe, but I really enjoy the texture that pan frying brings to the salad.
Potsticker Salad with Sesame Dressing
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
16 oz dumplings/potstickers/wontons (I used Trader Joe’s Mini Chicken Cilantro Wontons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if pan frying)
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons chili crisp (you can lower the amount or omit, depending on your heat preference)
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced (save ¼ cup for garnish)
6oz edamame, shelled and cooked
1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced
1/4 cilantro, roughly chopped
Sesame Seeds, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and pan fry wontons for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally until golden brown (you can opt to boil or steam, as well) and set aside. While the wontons cook, make the dressing.
2. In a large bowl, whisk sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, chili crisp, and peanut butter together.
3. Add wontons, edamame, cucumber, scallions, and cilantro, the bowl with the dressing and mix together to distribute ingredients evenly.
4. Garnish with scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
5. Enjoy warm, room temperature, or cold.
I hope this recipe has inspired you to experiment with different flavors and to look at pasta and salads differently. Whether you are looking for classes that focus on Asian food, classes to give you new ideas for salads, or classes focused on pasta, we have some great options coming up:
- Pasta and Gnocchi Workshop on Monday, August 18 at 6pm
- Pasta Boot Camp on Saturday, September 20 at 10am
- Sushi Workshop on Thursday, August 21 at 6pm
- Korean BBQ on the Grill on Saturday, September 27 at 6pm
- Summer Salads and Grain Bowls on Friday, September 5 at 11am
- Chicago Neighborhoods Tour on Saturday, September 6 at 11am
- Indian Vegetarian on Friday, September 19 at 11am
