9/15/10

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!

34 comments:

  1. Veronica,

    This is not hyperbole, or exaggeration, or smoke-blowing, but this is the best bowl of noddles I've seen in a while. Just perfect. I have a local noodle bar that I abuse for lunch during the workweek and it never, ever looks that good.

    What more could I say? Two thumbs up!

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  2. Wow!! Excellent recipes! Funny, my incredibly picky daughter who won't touch anything, absolutely adores sesame oil. She will go crazy for this dish. I'm loving the addition of the cilantro as well! Nicely done!

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  3. Mmm the sesame noodles look delicious! I'm allergic to cilantro, is there something I could use as a substitute that would work well? :)

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  4. Lazaro - You are too kind!! I have to tell you that even I was surprised at how savory and delicious this was. I will be making this again very, very soon!

    Kim - I LOVE sesame oil, too! The scent of toasted sesame oil to me always evokes memories of some of the best Asian dishes I've eaten.

    Lindsey - Thanks! They were soooo good! You could definitely just use green onions and leave the cilantro out altogether :-)

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  5. I love all your additions! I'll be trying them next time I make these!

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  6. Thanks Sue!

    Hey Danelle - Thanks for stopping by! Your and PW's noodles were the inspiration!

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  7. I'm loving your beautiful bowl of noodles as well and I didn't know they have ginger flavored rice wine vinegar, yum, I must find it! All your ingredients are right up my alley and I will be trying this recipe for dinner soon:) Thanks for visiting my blog via Lazaro. I see many things I like here, you have a beautiful blog, so I will check back often, thanks.

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  8. Green onions and cilantro are different but both sure works for me with the sesame dressing you have for the noodles.

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  9. lindsay - try some thai basil. It will compliment the dish perfectly

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  10. Hi Patty - thanks so much for coming over! I love all the vinegars and olive oils by O Olive Oil. My favorite is the citrus champagne vinegar!

    Tigerfish thanks for stopping by and definitely agree they are different :-) I love them both.

    Anonymous - Thai basil would be a very nice addition. I can only ever find regular (Italian) basil, which would not be a good option. So I would just caution to be sure you find the correct basil if using.

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  11. We eat loads of noodles now we can get them in Turkey. I love them with chilli sauce and will be trying a variation of this dish (some of the dressings are difficult to find)very soon! Great photo of the final result by the way. :)

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  12. Thank you Jay!! I think my favorite part is the toasted sesame oil but then again I love the soy sauce and the chile paste, too. I hope you can find most of the ingredients for the dressing - it's just so good!

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  13. This looks delicious and I must try it! It is a great mix of ingredients! I'm new to your blog and so glad I found it!

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  14. Lovely, absolutely delicious - as I'm in a bit of a necessity driven "make ahead" mode these days - my first thought was that any leftover noodles would be just as good cold for lunch the next day! Thanks for the great recipe! Cheers, Michelle

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  15. Beautiful dish! The sauce sounds fantastic...I love the addition of the Sriracha.

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  16. Hi Pam - Thanks so much!! I'm so glad you came by!

    Thanks Michelle! You'll have to let me know how they are cold!!

    Hey Karen - it's quite possible that everything is better with Sriracha - lol! I love the homemade version. It was easy to do and I just love it!

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  17. now that noodle dish does look tasty!! I'm glad you went over to food gawker so we could see your creation! I have to start making more dishes like this for my girls, I know they would enjoy them!

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  18. yum...i forgot how good sesame noodles are. now you made me want some. thanks for the delicious post. i think i might try your recipe with some "tofu angel hair" noodles i found at 99 Ranch. it's not quite like pasta, but i think it will work.

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  19. Aw thanks Chef Dennis! I bet they would love it!

    Jules!! That sounds interesting and healthy! You'll have to let me know how it comes out. I bet it will be delicious!

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  20. I like your substitutions, I bet it amped up the flavour. I do like green onions in Asian dishes too, though! And I've also been known to have some "less than fresh" ones in the fridge, having used up half of them and then forgotten about the rest!

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  21. Haha Carolyn sounds like we are two peas in a pod!!

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  22. I love noodles like these! Time to put them back on the menu...thanks for the delicious inspiration!!

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  23. beautiful noodle bowl- I am gathering ingredients now!

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  24. Deb - it's so good I'm going to make it again this week! But first I have some delicious fresh caught rockfish that is calling my name :-)

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  25. Congrats on the NY Times!!! (I'm in there too.)

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  26. Wow V!!! The NY Times -- that is awesome. Congratulations and well deserved! :))))

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  27. I've tried numerous sesame noodle recipes (most with peanut butter) --
    this is, hands down, the best! My husband, who has been luke warm or cooler on the others, likes this recipe. Thanks so much! Mary in CNY

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  28. PS -- I add cucumber for a bit of cool -- Mary

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    Replies
    1. Great tip! My lips are on fire right now! Lol!

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  29. Thank you Nurit and Cristina!!

    Mary - That is sooo great to hear! Thank you so much for letting me know and I'm so excited you and your husband like it!!

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  30. This looks great! I'm about to make it for dinner! :)

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  31. I made this tonight. It's good, BUT I've learned that a little chili paste goes a looooooong way! My lips are on fire!!

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