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Spicy Sesame Garlic Noodles
5 mins
10 mins
6
Steps
- Right in the serving bowl, mix up the dressing. Start by letting the shallot, garlic, and ginger chill out for five minutes in the vinegar. This helps mellow their bite.
- Then whisk in the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions. If using spaghetti, you can add two tablespoons of baking soda to the water when it boils, and cook for two minutes more than indicated for al dente. This turns the pasta yellower and gives it more chew and spring — but is totally optional. In a small, dry pan, toast the sesame seeds over low heat.
- Add the cooked noodles to the bowl and mix well to coat with sauce. Stir in the sesame seeds and scallions. That’s it!
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions. (See note 1.)
- Meanwhile, place the minced shallot, garlic and ginger into a large mixing bowl (big enough to accommodate a pound of noodles) and stir in the rice vinegar. Let sit for five minutes. Then whisk in peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha until perfectly smooth. Whisk in the water.
- In a small pan, toast the sesame seeds over low heat, stirring a few times, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- As soon as you drain the noodles, add them to the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat well. Stir in scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
- Sriracha adds another layer of flavor and plenty of spiciness. The amount I've suggested in the recipe gives the dish a mild heat — you can easily customize it to your tastes.
- Spicy sesame garlic noodles will be at their sauciest right after cooking. After that, the noodles will absorb more of the sauce. That said, you can absolutely make them in advance at serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. They're great either way.
- Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
Notes
- If cooking with spaghetti, you can use the same technique that creates the chewy exterior on bagels and pretzels to transform spaghetti into a springier noodle that mimics ramen or Chinese egg noodles. Simply add two tablespoons of baking soda to your gallon or so of salted water right after it boils, before you add the pasta. Add two minutes to the cooking time indicated on the package for al dente. This step is completely optional — spaghetti works just fine in this recipe as-is, but it's fun to have options.
- Seasoned rice vinegar has a little bit of sugar and salt added to it. You can swap in unseasoned rice vinegar and add two teaspoons of sugar, honey, or another sweetener to the dressing if that's what you've got.
Originally published at umamigirl.com. Reproduced for personal collection.
