Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles & Zoodles

Recipe from Shorty Tang and Ed Schoenfeld

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Time

10 minutes

Noodles dressed with sesame are popular in many parts of China, but this particular style, made with peanut butter and served cold, became a Chinese-American staple in the United States in the 1970s. The family of Shorty Tang — an ambitious restaurateur who emigrated from Sichuan to Taipei to New York — firmly believes that he invented the dish and still serve it at Hwa Yuan, the restaurant he opened in 1967 in Manhattan’s Chinatown. They have never divulged the exact recipe; this is our own lush but refreshing version. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: Cold Sesame Noodles: Without the Wait for Takeout

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

• 1pound noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh
• 2tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
• 3½tablespoons soy sauce
• 2tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
• 2tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
• 1tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• 1tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 2teaspoons minced garlic
• 2teaspoons chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chile oil, or to taste
• Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch by ⅛-inch by 2-inch sticks
• ¼cup chopped roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Step 1

   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.

2. Step 2

   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.

3. Step 3

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

Tip

• The Chinese sesame paste called for here is made of toasted sesame seeds; it is not the same as tahini, the Middle Eastern paste made of plain, untoasted sesame. But you could use tahini in a pinch. You need only add a little toasted sesame oil to compensate for flavor, and perhaps some peanut butter to keep the sauce emulsified.

• https://thelemonbowl.com/cold-sesame-peanut-zoodles/