Still surviving this scorching summer heat? Since we can't really make the rising temperature go away overnight, at least we can try to cool ourselves down with some appetizing cold dishes.
But don't take this cold noodles with black sesame sauce lightly. Despite its touch of coldness, the flavors are definitely up there with the help of Asian seasonings.
Cold noodles with refreshing black sesame sauce -
Ingredients (for two)?
- 2 portals fresh noodles (thinner version or the oiled yellow noodles)
- 1 skinny cucumber
- 1/2 lb chicken tender or chicken breast
- Few drops olive oil
- Some bean sprouts or julienned carrot (optional)
Sauce -
- 1 1/2 tablespoons black sesame sauce
- 2 tablespoons black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce (along with some chili oil)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 garlic cloves
How?
Most of the Chinese cold noodles with sesame sauce come with brownish sesame sauce made with white sesame seeds. But the one used here is made by black sesame seeds. There are many versions of black sesame sauce sold in the market, be sure to pick up the unsweetened version. The sweetened version is mostly used as a bread spread, but with unsweetened kind, you get to decide if the sauce transforms into dessert or savory dishes just like this cold noodles recipe.
Besides different types of sesame sauce, the noodles come with many varieties too. Most of the commercial Chinese cold noodles are yellowish. You can also find it at the grocery store, usually oiled to prevent sticking. My local noodles stand asked if I am going to cook and enjoy the noodles right away. I said yes, and she recommended me to use fresh noodles instead.
It was a good choice. The flavors are lighter and fresher.
Simply bring a pot of water to a boil then cook the noodles till some chewiness still remains. Drain the noodles and quickly transfer to a big bowl filled with icy cold water. Once the noodles turned cold, drain again and mix with few drops of olive oil. Transfer the noodles to serving dishes.
Boil the chicken first. Once cooked, set aside and wait till cool enough to handle by hand. Tear or chop the chicken into strips or smaller pieces.
Peel and julienne the skinny cucumber. Peel and julienne the carrot if using. Blanch the bean sprouts if using too. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.
Mix the black sesame sauce, black vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce along with some oil, lemon juice, sesame oil, sugar, and chopped garlic. Make sure the sugar is fully dissolved. Taste and adjust with more seasonings if needed.
Mix the noodles with some sauce first. Arrange chicken and other toppings on top. Drizzle more sauce throughout.
You can switch the ingredients used for the sauce per your liking. Some people like to use grated garlic instead of finely chopped version. However, I do like the texture and spicier kick from chopped garlic. The use the lemon juice is not a common thing too, but I love finding such a refreshing aroma from the heavier tasting sauce.
Don't ever let recipes tie you up, be your own recipe creator and have fun with testing ingredients and combinations. Sure, sometimes you have to brave it up and finish off the scary creations. Trust me, it'll get better over time and soon enough you'll find yourself licking the plates asking for more.
Other cold dish recipes:
Bell pepper rarely shows up on my shopping list, and this colorful ingredient also seems absent from my family's dining table during my childhood. However, I guess taste does change over time and I start to appreciate bell pepper more throughout the years, especially when it's used for pizza topping! Who can resist pizza with sausages and bell pepper baked to perfection!?
Grilled bell peppers and pickled bell peppers are now my two favorite ways to enjoy these color veggies. Bell peppers can withstand stronger-tasting seasonings such as curry powder and cumin powder. So this time, I'm going to incorporate bell peppers into my curry fried rice recipe.
Curry fried rice -
Ingredients (makes about 6 to 8 portions)?
- 1/2 rice cup quinoa
- 3 rice cups basmati rice
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 to 3 large king oyster mushrooms
- 1 large onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 to 2 eggplants (if using shorter and skinny variety then use 2 instead)
- 1 small can green peas
- 2 stalks scallion
- 1 to 2 red chilies
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- Some salt
- Some black pepper
Chicken marinade:
- 2 tablespoons Japanese tsuyu
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
How?
Soak the quinoa first for about 10 to 20 minutes. Wash the basmati rice then pour the quinoa and its soaking water to the rice cooker, mix together with basmati rice. Cook the rice mixture with a little bit less water than usual in order to get the right texture for the fried rice. Fluff the grains once ready.
Ideally, drier and firmer grains are more suitable for fried rice. You can also precook the grains the day before then store in the fridge overnight. It will help drawing out some moisture in such cold and dry environment.
Cut the chicken breasts into smaller cubes and massage with the marinade ingredients. Cover and transfer to the fridge, let it marinate for at least 6 hours up to overnight.
Take the chicken out of the fridge a little earlier before cooking, about 10 minutes. That way the meat won't be too cold when adding to the pan.
Peel and cube the onion. Destem and finely chop the red chilies. Discard the seeds and cube the bell peppers. Cube the king oyster mushrooms. Destem, peel, and slice the eggplants. Drain the canned peas.
Destem and chop the scallion, separate the white and green sections.
Add the butter to a big pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the butter starts to melt, add in cubed onion along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a quick stir then add in the white sections of chopped scallion and red chilies. Mix again and cook till the edges of the onion turns slightly browned.
Transfer the chicken into the pan and cook till about half way cooked through.
Add bell pepper and king oyster mushrooms, mix and cook for about 2 minutes. Now transfer the eggplants over and cook till softened.
Add in 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and 1 more teaspoon of salt. Mix well and cook for another minute or two.
Add in drained peas in the end. However, if using fresh peas then add to the pan earlier. Taste and adjust the flavors with salt or even more cumin/curry powder. It should be on the saltier side so the flavors will balanced out when the grains are mixed in.
Mix in the quinoa and basmati rice mixture in two to three batches. Make sure every grain is coated with the seasonings but try not to over mix it, otherwise the rice might turn sticky and even paste-like.
Plate the curry fried rice and garnish with green section of the chopped scallions and perhaps some more freshly ground black pepper.
Think about it, this might actually be my first recipe using bell pepper on foodmakesmehappy.com. Maybe it's time to explore some other ingredients that I don't get to eat as mush when I was a kid.
Other fried rice recipes:
