deliciousness

takeout-style sesame noodles

via nytimes
serves 4

1 pound Chinese egg noodles
2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
3½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili-garlic paste, or to taste
Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/8,-by- 1/8,-by-2-inch sticks
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes; they should retain a hint of chewiness. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.

雞絲涼麵 - spicy cold noodles with chicken slivers

serves 4
adapted from fuchsia dunlop’s land of plenty: a treasury of authentic sichuan cooking

2 chicken breasts
pepper, soy sauce
1 lb fresh chinese noodles, shanghai-style
peanut of vegetable oil
2 large handfuls of bean sprouts
4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tbsp sesame paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chinkiang vinegar
1 tbsp + 1  tsp white sugar
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp ground roasted sichuan pepper
2-3 tbsp chili oil with chile flakes (or hunan chili paste)
1 tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with pepper and soy sauce and roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Let cool and tear or cut into 1/4 inch thick slivers. 

Cook noodles in boiling water according to directions (usually 3-4 minutes) - make sure not to overcook. Rinse in cold water, drain, and mix with oil to prevent sticking (I didn’t really need the oil, just rinsed with enough water to wash off the starches that cause stickyness and consumed quickly).

Blanch bean sprouts for a few second in boiling water, then rinse with cold water and drain. Combine all seasonings into sauce - add water to dilute to desired consistency.

To serve, layer sprouts, noodles, chicken, and scallions. Pour sauce and toss.

NOTE: this is a spicy dish, thus the title. The measurements above, sans sichuan peppers, are for a less spicy sauce as I was making for my mom, aka does not like spicy. To make spicier, add more chili paste and sichuan peppers.

麵疙瘩 - homemade noodle soup

serves 3
adapted from chinese rice and noodles by su-huei huang

1 1/2 c flour
1 c water
2 scallions
3 tbsp dried shrimp
handful of dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb. pork or chicken (I used frozen fish balls)
1 tbsp soy sauce
5 c water (I used a can of chicken broth and just filled a medium pot halfway with water)
3 tbsp sesame oil
salt, pepper

Steep dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for at least 15 minutes, then slice. Put mix flour and 1 cup water in a bowl into a (very sticky) dough. (The more you stir, the chewier the noodles become - my grandpa kneads the dough.) Rub oil on surface of the dough (optional). Cover and let sit 20 minutes - longer is fine. 

Heat oil and stir-fry white part of scallions, dried shrimp, meat, and shiitakes, season with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant and cooked through. Add soy sauce and water (and fish balls and broth) and bring to a boil. Rub oil on hands to keep dough from sticking; tear off small pieces of dough (I used two-thumb sized pieces) and put into boiling water. Cook until dough floats to the surface. Sprinkle green part of scallions on top and serve.

spicy soba noodles with shiitakes

via smittenkitchen
serves 4-6

For sauce
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 to 3 teaspoons Korean hot-pepper paste (sometimes labeled “gochujang”)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

For noodles
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 1/4 pound Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (8 cups)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
8 to 9 ounces soba (buckwheat noodles)
1 cup frozen shelled edamame

Stir together all sauce ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved, then set aside.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat, stirring, until pale golden, then transfer to a small bowl.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then saute ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shiitakes and saute, stirring frequently, until tender and starting to brown, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add cabbage and most of scallions (reserve about a tablespoon for garnish) and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Add sauce and simmer 2 minutes.

While cabbage is cooking, cook soba and edamame together in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until noodles are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to stop cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with sesame seeds and vegetable mixture. Serve sprinkled with reserved scallions.

Epicurious’ note: If you aren’t able to find Korean hot-pepper paste, substitute 3/4 teaspoon Chinese chile paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

pan-fried noodles with shrimp, coconut, and mint

via recipezaar
serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 lb fresh chinese spinach egg noodles (chow mein; available in Asian markets)
1 cup coarsely chopped mixed fresh cilantro or mint or Thai basil or regular basil
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon minced Thai green chili or jalapeno chile (optional)

In a large wok, saute pan, or skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and red curry paste and stir-fry until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes (The sauce can be made ahead to this point and set aside for 2 to 3 hours. Reheat before continuing).

Just before serving, cook the noodles in a large pot of unsalted boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Increase heat under the sauce to high and add the noodles, herbs, bean sprouts, and the chili, if using. Toss until the noodles are heated through and well coated with sauce.

hong kong pan-fried noodles

via sugarlens
serves 2

1 16oz pkg. Hong Kong Style noodles (I used a bit more than half)
1 small chicken breast, sliced thinly
15-20 small shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 king oyster mushroom, sliced thinly
1 stalk bok choy, cleaned and cut
2 cloves garlic, minced

Marinade A:
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
Salt/pepper to taste

Marinade B:
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt/pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of cooking wine

Thickening:
1 tbsp of corn starch
2 tbsp of water

Add oil to a heated pan. Add noodles. The noodles should brown very quickly. Use a pair of chopsticks or a spatula to make sure the noodles are getting browned evenly. If you need to, use the spatula to press the noodles against the pan or add some more cooking oil to make sure you brown most of the noodles. Plate the noodles and set aside.

Marinate chicken with Marinade A. Set aside. Marinate shrimps with Marinade B. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for Sauce. In a smaller bowl, combine corn starch and water. Set aside.

Add oil to a heated pan and saute garlic until lightly brown. Add shrimps and cook thoroughly. Dish out.

Add oil to a heated pan and cook chicken until done. Dish out.

Add oil to a heated pan and cook bok choy and oyster mushroom. Add salt to taste. Cook until done. Add shrimps and chicken back to the pan. Stir well. Add the Sauce mixture. Bring it to a boil.

Add water/corn starch and give a quick stir. Bring it to a boil.

Pour gravy on top of the noodles. Serve immediately!

“asian” chicken noodle soup

adapted from mango&tomato

chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
oil, salt, pepper
chicken broth or stock + enough water to cover ingredients
1 in. piece of ginger
2 3-in. pieces of lemon grass (hit with back of knife)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tbsp. soy sauce
chili sauce
flat rice noodles
2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
cilantro
scallions

Heat oil, and salt and pepper the chicken. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken. Make sure not to cook it all the way through, since it will continue to cook in the soup. Remove excess oil. Pour in chicken broth or stock, water, lemon grass, ginger, and garlic and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and noodles, lower the heat, cover, and let cook for 12 minutes. Skim off fat from top. Add carrots and cook for a few more minutes. Put desired amount of chili sauce into service bowl. Serve soup topped with scallions and cilantro.