Award-Winning Sesame Noodles

Award-Winning Sesame Noodles

Sesame Noodles

I was meandering around Foodgawker and saw a picture of a version of these sesame noodles. They looked completely appetizing and it made me crave them. I hadn't eaten yet, and the recipe said "easy" so I thought I'd whip up a quick bowl.

I keep a fairly well-stocked pantry (oh, who am I kidding - I'm an ingredient hoarder, there I've said it) so imagine my surprise when I realized I didn't have fresh green onions on hand. Well, I had them, but let's just say they were less than fresh. Anyway, you might say, "It's just one ingredient, who cares", but I have this thing about really liking them in Asian noodle dishes. I was too hungry not to make the dish so I decided I'd just use cilantro instead, and throw in some red bell peppers for crunch and color. Not a bad selection indeed. Future versions of this will definitely include all of the above. Needless to say this is a fabulous, and yes, easy dish.

In fact, Let's Dish calls them Easy Sesame Noodles and The Pioneer Woman calls them Simple Sesame Noodles. You can call them anything you want, just call me when you make them for dinner. Yum! I made quite a few changes to the sauce and I was really pleased with the results. With this recipe, I think you can hardly go wrong no matter how you may decide to tweak it.

Remember that homemade Sriracha sauce and chile paste I made recently? Comes in real handy with this dish, but
you can definitely use the Huy Fong brand (the one with the rooster on the bottle) instead.
Yes, those are Italian capellini noodles, but they worked darn good doubling as Asian noodles!

Serves 2-4

Noodles:

8 ounces whole wheat capellini pasta (about 1/2 of the package you see above), or you could use regular angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

(Once cooked and drained, toss with small amount of toasted sesame oil to keep moist)

Sauce:

2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar (I used O Ginger Rice Vinegar)

1 teaspoon chile paste

1 teaspoon lightly toasted sesame seeds (optional), see Cook's note

1-2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/4 of a red bell pepper, diced

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Sriracha sauce to taste (or let each guest add their own)

Ingredient missing from this shot...garlic, oops!

In large bowl mix soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chile paste,   sesame seeds, and garlic.

Add noodles, cilantro, bell pepper, and green onions if desired, then toss together. Add Sriracha sauce to taste or serve alongside and allow your guests to add.

with Sriracha sauce

Cook's note: To toast sesame seeds, place in heated skillet over low to medium heat and allow to lightly brown while occasionally stirring. Will only take a couple of minutes.


*My Sesame Noodles are a Top 5 Editor's Pick in the New York Times Readers' Recipes: The Potluck!