Chinese Restaurant Cold Sesame Noodles Recipes

Steps:

• Noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer (water should be as salty as seawater). Meanwhile, gently unroll the fresh noodle "nests" to aerate and separate the strands prior to boiling. Place noodles into simmering water, gently stir and cook until al dente, 2½-3 minutes. Drain, then immediately rinse under cold water to chill. Toss with 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil and set aside.
• Sauce, part 1: In a blender, combine peppercorns, peanut oil, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, mirin, sesame paste, peanut butter, shallot, ½ chili, garlic, ginger, and a few sprigs cilantro. Set aside.
• Prepare garnish: Cut a 2½-inch piece from the cucumber; slice piece into wide planks, stack, and slice into matchsticks. (Reserve the remainder for another use, or use as additional garnish.) Slice remaining half of chili into fine matchsticks. Thinly slice light green part of the scallion on a 45-degree angle. Set garnish aside.
• Sauce, part 2: Purée sauce until it is smooth with a thin consistency, about 1 minute. Taste to adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary. Makes about 2 cups. (Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days.)
• Assembly: Evenly divide noodles into 4 bowls. Using a bulb baster, drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of sauce over the noodles. Garnish each bowl with a sprig of cilantro, scallions, fresh chili, and a little bundle of cucumber. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. Chill.
• In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes; they should retain a hint of chewiness. Drain, rinse with cold water (if you'd like to try something different, sometimes I leave the noodles somewhat warm), drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil. Some udon noodles come with microwave instructions, feel free to use those.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste. (Two notes: 1- I use sriracha sauce in place of the chili-garlic paste. 2- If you don't have Chinese sesame paste, I usually use tahini and just a touch more sesame oil).
• Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss (you may have extra sauce, which you can reserve to use for another serving later). Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Steps:

• While pasta is cooking, pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor just until well incorporated (do not over blend).
• When the pasta is cooked, drain, and mix with sauce.
• Then add carrots and toss (I never leave the carrots out).
• Chill for a few hours before serving.
• They are best cold!
• Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds just before serving.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. They should retain a hint of chewiness. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.