In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and garlic together. Set aside.
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions and then drain. DO NOT RINSE!
Toss pasta with sesame dressing and allow to cool slightly while you chop and prepare the vegetables, about 10 minutes.
Add the vegetables to the noodles and toss to combine. Top with sesame seeds and toss again to distribute.
While you can serve immediately, the flavors are best after the pasta salad has been refrigerated for at least 1 hour, even better after 4-8 hours.
Notes
Vegetables: Use any vegetables you like. Shredded cabbage, sugar snap peas, steamed edamame, carrots, broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes, etc. Gluten-Free Modifications: To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free soy sauce (Tamari).Storage: Store this salad in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Do not leave out at room temperature for more than 3 hours. Softer Vegetables: If you prefer softer, or crisp-tender vegetables over raw vegetables, add vegetables like broccoli and sugar snap peas to the boiling pasta water for the last 3 minutes that the pasta cooks.Dealing with Dried Out Pasta Salad: Mix together 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce together and toss with the pasta salad to moisten it up.