Sesame Noodles

Asian-style noodles with a sesame dressing; can be as spicy or as mild as you like.

Hardware

• A large pasta pot
• A large colander
• A small mixing bowl
• A large mixing bowl

Ingredients

450	g		thick spaghetti
15	g		dark sesame oil
35	g		Asian-style sesame paste
65	g		tahini
10	g		chili paste
20	g		Chinese-style black vinegar
50	g		soy sauce
5	g		rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
15	g		white sugar
			Szechuan (mala) pepper, crushed or ground (optional)
2	bunches		scallions, whites removed, sliced thin

Procedure

1. Fill the pasta pot with salted water and bring to a boil.


2. In the small mixing bowl, make the sauce.


3. Cook the pasta until is is just done; it should be “al dente,&rdqo; that is, still be slightly firm. If you over-cook the pasta it will fall apart when you try to mix it with the sauce.


4. Put about half the (drained) in the large mixing bowl, then add the sauce; stir well.


5. In batches, use the remaining pasta to get the last of the sauce out of the small mixing bowl; add to the large mixing bowl and stir until all the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.


6. Garnish with the chopped scallions.

Notes

Don’t use a balloon or “light bulb” whisk as the sauce tends to get stuck inside. I suggest a (Danish) dough whisk or a flat whisk.

If you prefer to use a separate measuring bowl (which I often recommend, to avoid accidentally adding too much of an ingredient and having to start again), measure the ingredients in the order listed: this will minimize the tahini and sesame paste getting stuck in the measuring bowl.

Pretty much any long, thin wheat pasta will do; if you can find Asian-style noodles, so much the better. You could use rice noodles but I prefer wheat noodles.

If you like, cut the whites of the scallions into this strips and saute in a neutral oil until brown, then use as a garnish for the noodles.

Rating

Difficulty:		Very easy
Time:		45 minutes
Precision:		4

Source

Adapted from Chinese Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame Dressing, All-Purpose Chinese Vinaigrette for Cold Vegetable Dishes, and Sesame Noodles with Chili Oil and Scallions (Bon Appetit, June 2013, page 102).

For reference, here’s my (modified) transcription of the recipe from the magazine, but I don’t suggest using it since I think the recipe above is much better.