Sometimes simple is best
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especially in the summertime
You want to come home, take a long bath, have a glass of wine, sit on the sofa, and watch a movie with your Sweetie. After a long, sleepless(!) weekend of being on call, we're doing just that.
There are so many wonderful, inherently delicious flavors in the most of simple ingredients, and I love sesame noodles just for that reason. One can eat them by themselves, or pair them with any sort of protein. Veggies from the CSA as wonderful as well
They're cool, spicy, and hit the spot when you're craving full-flavored food in hot weather. I went with tradition and kept the noodles, sauce, and veggies separate. Assembling right before we were ready to eat. (It also keeps them from becoming soggy in the fridge)
For those like my husband who can take more spice, one can easily add more chilis to the sauce, or even spoon some chili oil or Chinese chili sauce over the top.
One other note about the sauce, it's quite addictive. I image it would be wonderful over cooked veggies or brown rice with veggies. Maybe added to a stir fry
Enjoy!
xoxo
~ Adapted from Gourmet | June 2002
Cold Chinese Noodles with Spicy Honey Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh wheat-flour Chinese noodles
- ¼ cup toasted Asian sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 3 Tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 3 Tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 - 4 Tbsp warm water (depending on how thick you'd like your sauce)
- ½ tsp coarse salt
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper (more or less, depending on your tolerance for heat)
- 3 scallions, cut into thin diagonal slices (green and white parts)
- 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded
- ½ crisp seedless cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the Noodles
- Heat a large pot half-filled with water to boiling. Place the noodles in the water and cook, for about 4 minutes for fresh noodles and 8 minutes for dried spaghetti, or until tender. Drain well and rinse with cold water, lifting the cooked noodles with tongs to prevent sticking. Shake in a colander to remove excess water.
- Put the noodles in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons each of the sesame oil and the soy sauce. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Peanut Sauce
- Combine the remaining 2 Tbsp each of sesame oil and soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, sesame paste, vinegar, 2 Tbsp of warm water, salt, and red pepper in a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Blend or process until the sauce is smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and red pepper, if desired.
- Adjust the thickness of the sauce with more warm water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Set aside at room temperature.
- When the noodles are chilled, add the peanut sauce and toss with tongs to distribute evenly. Spread the noodles on a deep platter and top with the scallions, carrots, cucumber, and cilantro
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