Best Asian Food Blogs: Cold Sesame Noodles

Last night I had the pleasure of being a guest chef at the Ted and Amy Supper Club in Fort Greene. The theme was Tiki Summer Feast, so Kara (supper club founder and hostess extraordinaire) set up long tables in her lovely backyard for the 12 guests and cranked up some tiki lounge music. Creating the menu was incredibly fun; since tiki bars of the olden days served mainly finger foods alongside Mai Tai’s, etc., I did a variety of shareable plates, including hoisin wings, Chinese barbecued ribs, and potstickers filled with shredded braised duck leg (which turned out to be a huge favorite!)

The meatless dish I served was a big bowl of cold sesame noodles, which also got emptied pretty quickly. I first blogged about these noodles last summer and have made them every few weeks since. A quick dish that requires minimal cooking (just boiling the pasta), it’s a lifesaver during dinner parties, when the oven and stovetop are needed for everything else. But it’s also a filling and tasty dinner for one or two people.

Since there’s no end in sight for hot, sticky weather, I thought I would reshare this for your summer night meals, in or out of doors. If you’re not vegetarian and want to fancy it up, try adding some prosciutto, bacon bits…or even shredded duck!

My electricity bill these past two months has been frightening. Living in a building with only two units that is considered a “house” by ConEdison’s standards, my roommate and I have had to pay double the monthly amount of typical apartment tenants. And it doesn’t help that we have three air conditioners. We try to use them a little as possible, but with July’s record high temps and oppressive humidity, a little AC meant the difference between good night’s rest and no sleep.

And of course, I can’t not cook at home. As somewhat of a carb addict, 75% of my homecooked dinners, let’s just be honest, involve noodles or pasta. But the noodle soups will have to wait until fall.

Cold noodles, on the other hand, are essential for the summer. They make great picnic food. They make great sides for cookouts. They are the same savory-sweet kind you get from the Chinese takeout, with less grease and no MSG. And they require very little prep time and don’t even have to be reheated out of the fridge (within a reasonable number of days, of course.)

For the noodles themselves, I like to use Chinese egg noodles, soba, or spaghetti. They should be round, not too thin or too thick (the width of a spaghetti strang is perfect.) I find that regular all-wheat Chinese noodles are usually too spongey for this sauce, rendering the dish into somewhat of a gloppy mess. Same with rice noodles. Egg noodles, soba, or spaghetti hold their firmness the best, and allow the sauce to coat the noodles instead of seeping in.

I also like to sauté my garlic and ginger just a little, before tossing it in with the sauce. I’d rather have fragrant garlic and ginger instead of raw, and that extra step of sautéeing for 30 seconds makes a huge difference.

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Serves 4 as a main or 6 as an appetizer

12 ounces dried spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
2 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

Sauce:
3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste (or 3 tablespoons tahini with an extra teaspoon of sesame oil)
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili paste
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper (optional)

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook egg noodles or spaghetti until al dente, or the minimum amount of time according to package instructions. Drain immediately, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and set aside.Heat the other tablespoon of peanut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Gently cook the minced garlic and grated ginger until just fragrant, about 30 to 40 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili paste, sugar, and optional Sichuan pepper. Add 3 tablespoons of water and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the cooked garlic and ginger.Pour the sauce over the noodles, add the cucumbers and carrots, and toss. Transfer to large bowl or deep serving dish and sprinkle the sesame seeds and scallions on top. You can serve the sesame noodles at room temperature or chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Notes: Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.

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More noodle dishes:

Shrimp Lo Mein

Dan Dan Mian (Spicy Sichuan Noodles)

Noodles with Hot Bean Sauce

Minced Pork and Shiitake Soba Noodles

Pad See-Ew