Cold Sesame Noodles

I fell in love with cold sesame noodles sitting cross-legged in my pajamas on the floor of my freshman year dorm. The almost weekly ritual of “ordering Chinese” found new friends lining the long hallways like ducks in a row, leaning over each other to steal an egg roll, pass packets of spicy mustard, or donate a scoop of fried rice to a worthy plate. I recall being stunned that restaurants sold noodles cold. “That’s a thing?” I mused as ordered them for the first time half as a joke. The cold noodles served in almost every Chinese takeout shop in the New York area are considerably less complex as the ones I offer here. Generally, they are simply-dressed noodles with a garnish of scallions and sometimes cucumbers for crunch. Here I add chicken and a few more veggies for a complete dish that travels well to the beach or a picnic, or god forbid in a brown bag to the office.

 

Cold Sesame Noodles

Adapted from “America’s Test Kitchen”

Serves 4 to 6

 

5 Tablespoons soy sauce (I always use lower sodium, and Kikkoman)

¼ cup sesame seeds, divided

¼ cup chunky peanut butter

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, according to heat preference

Hot water

1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 half breasts approximately 8 ounces each

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound fresh Chinese noodles, or 12 ounces dried Italian pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 red bell pepper, julienned very thinly

1 yellow bell pepper, julienned very thinly

4 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

 

Process the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of the sesame seeds, the peanut butter, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cayenne together in a blender or food processor until smooth and sesame seeds break down, about 30 seconds to a minute. With the machine running add hot water a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream (about 5 tablespoons); set aside.

 

Toss the chicken breasts in the olive oil and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven. After 10 minutes, turn the breast and continue to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes until the thickest part registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer or check doness by cutting into the thickest part. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside.

 

Cook the noodles according to package instructions, making sure to salt the water. Drain into a colander and pass under cold running water until the noodles are cooled completely. Don’t skip this step as it is important to rinse the starch off the noodles.

 

In a large bowl, combine the cooled noodles and sesame oil thoroughly. Add the sauce, chicken, and vegetables. Toss to combine and serve immediately or allow to chill completely in the fridge for several hours. Top with the remaining tablespoon of sesame seeds before serving.