Cold Thai Noodles, Citrusy Cabbage & Options

Saw this one on the NYT Cooking thing. This noodles and cabbage dish seems like wonderful place to start layering flavors and textures, such as blanched or left over roasted veggies of any kind, diced roasted pork, shredded chicken or even shrimp or scollops, if you like.

Ingredients:

For the noodles:
½ cup Thaii Chil Sauce
1 pound udon, soba or rice noodles, or spaghetti
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar, or fresh lemon or lime juice
Kosher salt and ground pepper

For the citrusy cabbage:
½ head red cabbage, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground pepper
¼ cup fresh lemon and-or lime juice
1 Tbs finely grated lemon and-or lime zest
2 Tbs olive oil

For the herby tahini sauce (optional):
⅓ cup tahini
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 Tbs fresh lemon or lime juice or key lime juice
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 cup parsley and-or cilantro, tender leaves and stems, very finely chopped
Kosher salt and ground pepper

For the lemony scallions (optional):
1 bunch scallions, very thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon or lime juice or key lime juice
1 Tbs finely grated lemon or lime zest
1 Tbs soy sauce
Kosher salt and ground pepper

More spicy things: Pickled Serrano chiles, pickled jalapeños, Calabrian chiles, seeded and de-veined — anything of the sort that will (lightly) set your mouth on fire are welcomed here.
Toasted seeds or nuts: Toast sesame seeds, chopped peanuts or almonds in a dry skillet until golden brown and toss with a little oil and salt; sprinkle over everything.

Directions:

Cook noodles in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. (If not using right away, spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and toss with a little canola oil to prevent sticking.)
Place cabbage in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add citrus juice and zest, tossing to coat. Let sit a few minutes to soften. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.
Whisk tahini, garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until a creamy dressing forms. Add herbs and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
Combine scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and soy sauce in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
When ready to eat, toss noodles with vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Spoon Thai chile sauce over the noodles, tossing to coat; keep adding the sauce until your noodles are evenly coated. (Keep in mind you have other sauces for the noodles, so you’re just looking for them to be coated and sufficiently spicy.) Serve any additional Thai Chili Sauce alongside for personal spooning, with the cabbage and other sauces, if you like.

I liked serving this buffet style with the big bowl of cold noodles followed by all the additional sauces, chilis and nuts. Folks can assemble their own culinary masterpiece.