Open Sesame Noodles
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
As in, open the refrigerator door in the middle of the night and eat them right out of the container. Classically, this dish is made with fresh or even frozen Chinese egg noodles, which are pretty easy to find in Chinese markets. But, for me at least, this is an impulse dish. I keep the sauce in a jar in the fridge so that I can throw this together with any kind of noodles from spaghetti to instant ramen. Last time I made it I used number 15 perciatelli. The key is to cook the noodle al dente, then immediately rinse with cold water, drain, then lube with toasted sesame oil. Skip that and the noodles will be gummy no matter what. Note: Although this recipe makes plenty of sauce for two, you may want to go as much as triple here so that you can keep some refrigerated in a jar for next time. This recipe first appeared in EveryDayCook. Photo by Lynne Calamia
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- 10 ounces dry pasta or 1 pound (494 grams) of fresh Chinese egg noodles, cooked al dente
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chile-garlic paste, like sambal oelek
- 20 grams freshly grated ginger
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Optional Add-Ons
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
- Toasted peanuts, crushed
- Red pepper flake
- Scallions, sliced on the bias
Specialized Hardware
Digital kitchen scale
Food processor
ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Procedure
- Install the standard blade in the work bowl of your food processor then put the work bowl on your scale and weigh in all the ingredients except the pasta , remembering to zero out the weight of each ingredient as you go. This is one of those cases where the scaling is more about convenience than precision, so if you ere a gram or two on either side of target, it’s okay. It’s not going to explode or anything.
- Pulse about ten times in 3-second bursts to bust up the garlic. Then run steady for about two minutes. Scrape down the sides if needed and go another minute or until the sauce is smooth.
- Place 2/3rds of the sauce in the bottom of a large bowl and toss in the noodles until thoroughly coated. This is a lot easier if the sauce is warm so if you’re getting it out of the fridge you may want to nuke it briefly.
- Garnish with any of the options listed above and consume. I typically go with the sesame seeds and green onions.
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