Noodles served in a variety of ways are a common Chinese American food choice. Flavoring noodles with sesame oil or seeds is popular throughout China, but this recipe—served cold and including peanut butter—is a true American hybrid. This dish became popular in the US in the 1970s, believed to originate at the New York City restaurant Hwa Yuan. Opened in Manhattan’s Chinatown in 1967 by Shorty Tang, who had moved from Sichuan to Taipei and then to New York, the restaurant’s exact recipe for cold sesame noodles has never been shared.
Ingredients
- 1 lb noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil, plus a splash
- 3 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Chinese rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp chile-garlic paste or chile oil
- Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into matchsticks (⅛-inch by ⅛-inch by 2-inch sticks)
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Drain noodles then rinse with cold water and drain again.
- Add noodles to large bowl then add a splash of sesame oil. Toss to coat.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili-garlic paste.
- Pour the sauce mixture over noodles and toss to coat well.
- Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish noodles with cucumber and peanuts.
Notes
Chinese sesame paste is made of toasted sesame seeds and is not the same as tahini, the Middle Eastern style of sesame paste made from untoasted sesame seeds. If Chinese sesame paste is unavailable, tahini can be used, mixed with a little sesame oil.
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