Tasty Chinese Food

One of my favorite Chinese dishes is Cold Sesame Noodles.

I first experienced this taste treat delight many years ago in New York City's Chinatown.

A friend of mine told me that they were his brother's favorite but that he himself thought they were nasty. The way he described them (noodles with peanut-butter) was not flattering and I didn't try them for some time based on his critique.

One evening we were eating at a Chinese restaurant, we were having a disagreement over something I can't remember what, but I decided just to aggravate him I would have the Cold Sesame Noodles, eat them in front of him and tell him how good they were. The big surprise? They were and I was forever hooked!

Cold Sesame Noodles

Makes: four servings

Time: About 30 minutes

Sesame Noodles are most often found on the menu as an appetizer.

 

If, however, you would like to turn them into a one-dish meal, you'll probably want to add some protein. Use can use leftover chicken, duck, pork, beef, seafood or you can use tofu if you are going vegan. 

If you want to add some crunch like I do, try adding slivered cucumbers and carrots (that is my usual choice) but I also like bean sprouts and daikon (Asian/Japanese radish or Chinese turnip) shredded cabbage is another option. You know what you like experiment, be creative and use what suits you. 

So then, lets make some noodles. We'll do the version with chicken.

What you'll need

• Salt, I use sea salt.
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cooked chicken or about 8 ounces boneless chicken breast
• 1 pound cucumber or other vegetable choice
• 12 ounces long pasta like linguine, spaghetti, fettuccine or fresh Chinese egg noodles or rice noodles.
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup Asian sesame paste (some use tahini but it hasn't got the same flavor as the Asian sesame paste) or you can use peanut butter (my choice is chunky fresh ground peanuts since it is sugar and salt free.)
• 1 tablespoon granulated stevia or a few drops of stevia extract (or you can use 2 tablespoons sugar, some people like to use honey)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, adjust to taste
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger, optional
• 1 tablespoon rice or wine vinegar
• Hot sesame oil or dried pepper flakes to taste, optional leave it out if you don't like spicy.
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
• At least 1/2 cup minced scallions for garnish, adjust to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts for additional crunch, optional
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional

How you'll put it together

• 1. Set a large pot of water to boil and salt it. If your chicken is uncooked, poach it in water as it comes to a boil; it will cook in about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel cucumbers, cut them in half, and, using a spoon, scoop out seeds. Cut cucumber into shreds and set aside.
• 2. In boiling water, cook pasta until tender but not mushy. I like mine al dente (If chicken is not done, you can still add pasta; remove chicken when it is done.) While pasta is cooking, whisk together sesame oil and paste, sugar, soy, ginger, vinegar, hot oil and pepper in a large bowl. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with hot water, so that it is about the consistency of heavy cream; you will need 1/4 to 1/2 cup. When pasta is done, drain it and run pasta under cold water. Drain and run the chicken under cold water. Shred chicken (use your fingers, it the easiest way) or you can slice it julienne style.
• 3. Toss noodles and chicken with sauce and cucumbers. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking (some people may think the dish needs salt), then garnish with the minced scallions, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.

As they said to 'Mikey' - Try it, you'll like it. 

If you are going low-carbs, try the following variation:

Substitute finely shredded cabbage in lieu of noodles. 

If you are using the sauce while it is hot (some like it hot or warm), the only change to keep in mind is to keep the sauce thicker- when poured hot over the cabbage, the cabbage wilts slightly and releases liquid that thins the sauce down to its proper consistency.

It doesn’t have the lush unctuous quality that the noodles do, but the flavor is still great.