Tamarind Thai Noodle Salad: A Beautiful, Far-East Accompaniment to Summer Barbeques and Picnics

 

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced with a wide grater
A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced

Combine these ingredients and pan sear them with ½ tbsp. butter for 5 minutes over medium heat, until the ginger and garlic become fragrant and the onion starts to soften. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Cook 1 pound of flat, long rice noodles (the type used for pad thai, shahe-fen) and cool in some cold water until room temperature. Strain and put into the serving bowl. Toss with a splash of olive oil. 

1 carrot, grated
1 bundle of scallions, sliced thinly
A few leaves of fresh mint, chopped
3-4 handfuls of coleslaw mix (shredded red and green cabbage and carrot)
½- ¾ cup of fresh peas

Add all of these to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. 

Next, in the bowl with the onion and garlic mixture, add in zest and juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste, 2 teaspoons of tamarind date chutney (find both of these at an Asian or Indian market; it gives the pasta a sweetness and some tang), ¼ cup of Szechuan sauce (the kind you can buy in the Asian food section of your grocery store), a splash of rice wine vinegar and of soy sauce, and lastly 4 drops of hot sauce. Stir this into the noodles. 

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with ¼ cup of boiling water. Stir to dissolve a little and then add this to the pasta as well. Taste the pasta and add more sugar, Szechuan or tamarind as desired.