Chilled Sesame Noodles
Chilled Sesame Noodles
There's good reason to believe that cold sesame noodles were first brought to New York 40 years ago by chef Shorty Tang at Hwa Yuan in Chinatown. Since then, chilled sesame noodles have been a ubiquitous part of Chinese takeout. At Junzi, sesame noodles have been one of our signature dishes since we opened, thanks to a deeply flavorful, carefully layered sesame sauce made of pure sesame paste, aromatics, and fermented tofu. Finish off the dish with chile oil and it's a classic—but not like one you've had before.
Ingreadient
- 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil
- 12 ounces thin flour "yangchun noodles", Chinese egg noodles, or other thin egg noodle
- 1 cup Chinese sesame paste
- 1 block furu (fermented tofu), from 13-ounce jar
- 4 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn oil
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie
- ¼ cup cup water (about)
- Sliced scallions, for serving
- Chile oil, for serving
- Toasted sesame seeds, coarsely ground using a mortar and pestle, for serving
Direction
- In a small skillet, heat the oil just until it begins to shimmer. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and toss with the oil in the medium bowl or on a small rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
- In a small bowl, whisk the sesame paste and furu until smooth. Add the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar, black vinegar, dark soy sauce, sichuan peppercorn oil, and salt and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the mayonnaise and then whisk in enough of the water until a thin creamy, silky sauce forms.
- Divide the noodles among bowls; drizzle the sesame sauce on top. Garnish with the scallions, chile oil, and sesame seeds.
