Summer is upon us and it’s time to cut out the carbs in our diet and replace them with cold versions of the same carbs. One of my earliest childhood memories is of my mother making this dish on particularly hot days. She could never be bothered to consult a recipe or take any care with measurements, but it always turned out perfectly.
– jeffrey
I tried to “wing it” once and it was an unmitigated disaster. Every flavor in the sauce competed with each other. Even the noodles coalesced into an enormous ball that was simultaneously overcooked and undercooked, defying the laws of time and physics.
I think this recipe is quite straightforward and should prevent all that.
Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Total cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame paste
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 cloves of garlic (grated)
- 1 green onion (for garnish)
- 1 pound of noodles (preferably fresh Chinese or Korean-style, but spaghetti/linguine will also work)
Combine all the sauce ingredients (everything but the noodles) in a large bowl. You may need to add a splash of hot water to make sure the sesame paste and peanut butter dissolve completely. The final result should be smooth.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles per the instruction on the packaging. For fresh Chinese/Korean-style noodles, this will take 4-5 minutes for the perfect al dente. Remove the noodles from the pot and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and wash off the excess starch. Immediately toss the noodles in the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Garnish with thinly slice green onion (you can also add sliced egg ribbons, sliced cucumbers, or bean sprouts for added flavor and texture).