Halved cherry tomatoes provide a strong flavor foundation for this cold noodle dish that’s at once savory like gazpacho and refreshingly satiating like naengmyeon, the chilled Korean noodle soup. Inspired, too, by oi naengguk, a hydrating cold cucumber soup, this dish leans into the wonders of ripe tomatoes and lets you taste them as they are: raw and juicy. Julienned cucumber would taste wonderful here, as would supple poached shrimp or halved hard-boiled eggs.

Cold Noodles with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

• 12 to 14 ounces somyeon, somen, capellini or other thin wheat noodle

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• 2 cups cold filtered water

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

• 2 radishes, thinly sliced

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced at an angle

• 2 cups crushed or cubed ice

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and salt. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon until well combined. Stir the filtered water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and scallions.

Right before serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles among bowls, and ladle in the broth and any unmelted ice, making sure each serving gets a nice sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, scallions and sesame seeds.

Total time: 20 minutes, serves 4-6.

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