China—Cold Noodles with Hot Sauce

China Side

Cold Noodles with Hot Sauce
(Serves 6)

Cold and hot in a single dish. Chilled noodles in a spicey hot sauce. Delectible

1 lb. fresh (or 1/2 lb. dry) noodles
2 T sesame oil
2 C bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
Cold water
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Seasoning Sauce
2 T sesame seed paste (see sidebar)
6 T soy sauce
1 T oil
3 T sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 tsp. sugar
3 T scallions (chopped)
2 tsp. fresh ginger (minced)
2 tsp. garlic (crushed or minced)
1 T chili oil (see sidebar)
2 tsp. peppersalt (see sidebar)
1 T roasted peanuts (chopped)—for garnish

Noodles: in large pot, cook noodles till tender. Drain and dunk cooked noodles in cold water for 30 seconds. Drain again. Cover and chill.

Sprouts: in another pot, bring water to a boil and submerge bean sprouts for 10 seconds. Remove, plunge in cold water, drain, squeeze out excess water, and chill.

Sauce: combine all ingredients for sauce (except peanuts). Mix with cold noodles and spouts. Mound on a platter and garnish with peanuts. Delicious served with cold Hunan Chicken.

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Tips & Glossary

Many ingredients used in Chinese cooking probably aren’t in your spice shelf, but you can find them at Asian grocery stores. To avoid frustration, make a list of the items before trying recipes.

Agar Agar: dried seaweed used as a gelatin. Buy it in sticks (or strips) and soak in cold water to soften.

Chili Oil: buy it or make your own. For a recipe, see Hunan Chicken.

Chinese Cabbage: aka “Nappa”;long, white stalks with light green crinkly leaves.

Deep Frying: use a deep-fry thermometer to reach the recipe's correct temperature; if the oil isn't hot enough, the food will be soggy. When cool, the oil can be strained, refrigerated, and re-used.

Dried Shrimp: tiny, salted, sun-dried shrimp that add a pungent flavor to Asian cooking. Soak before using.

Five-Spice Powder: blend of star anise, cinamon, cloves, fennel and Szechuan peppercorns. Like allspice.

Peppersalt: buy or make your own. Heat 2 T Szechuan peppercorns in skillet 5 min. Grind into powder and mix with 2 T salt.

Sauces: Hoisin (sweet, from soybeans); Oyster (like soy, from oysters); Sweet Bean (canned, salty, from soybeans); Hot Bean (hot & salty, from soybeans and peppers).

Sesame Paste: from gound sesame seeds; substitute with peanut butter.

Sweet Rice Powder: from glutinous rice; used in place of flour in many desserts.

Szechuan peppercorns: dried reddish berries, fragrant and mildly hot.