I’m going to try to exaggerate as little as possible when I write about these noodles, but it’s going to be hard. I love these noodles. They are so addictive. And they’re best eaten cold, which means you can make a whole bunch of them, throw them in the fridge, and eat them on a whim whenever you want. They’re awesome.
The article I mentioned in my “teaser” post gives a cool little history of “takeout-style” sesame noodles in Chinatown, focusing on the legendary noodles of Shorty Tang — whose son and grandsons now operate the Shorty Tang & Sons booth at Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg. The article ends with a recipe that is supposed to be similar to the original noodles, but is definitely not the top-secret Tang recipe, and I’ve come up with a couple modifications of my own.
(Side note: I also just discovered that Gilley Tang has a cool blog I will now be following. Check it out!)
The recipe calls for Chinese egg noodles, and at first we were really confused…why don’t any of the packages say egg noodles?? Turns out chow mein noodles, also used for lo mein, are, in fact, egg noodles. We used them twice as a “substitute” before realizing they were actually the right thing all along! I’ve also been using tahini, rather than Chinese sesame paste — but with this one I know it’s not quite the same ingredient. The main difference is that Chinese sesame paste is made with toasted seeds, whereas tahini is made with plain, un-toasted seeds. I’m sure the sauce would be even better with the right sesame paste, but it’s pretty delicious the way I’ve been making it. Plus, as long as you make sure you’re using toasted sesame oil, you still have that nice toastiness of the sesame seeds. Yum.
Speaking of correct ingredients…don’t mess with fancy peanut butters!! I know natural peanut butter is delicious. I know it’s just peanuts. I know it doesn’t have any, as my dad would say, “hydrogenated crap” in it. But it’s just not as smooth as “fake” peanut butter, and you want your noodles smooth (aside from the chunks of garlic and ginger). Jiffy, Peter Pan, whatever, just make it smooooth.
I’ve also been adding chicken, which is definitely not in the original recipe. It goes together really well though and obviously makes it a more substantial meal. If you decide to do chicken, double the sauce recipe and use two boneless chicken breasts (these were huge so I used 1 1/2, about 3/4lb). Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and let it chill for an hour or two in the fridge, then add a little more when you’re ready to pop them in the oven.
We’ve been broiling them in the toaster oven on high for 5-7 minutes per side, but next time I’m going to try cooking them in the oven lower and slower — something like 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. The main thing, in either case, is just to cut into the thickest part of the chicken when you think it’s done to make sure all of the pink is actually turned to white (i.e. not gonna give you salmonella).
Sesame Peanut Noodles (with or without chicken)
12-16oz Chinese egg noodles (chow mein noodles)
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce (we use low sodium)
2 T rice vinegar
2 T Chinese sesame paste, or tahini
1 T smooth n’ creamy peanut butter
1 T minced ginger (tip: grate it with a fine cheese grater/microplane)
2 t minced garlic
2 t chili garlic paste (can sub sambal oelek, but then add a little extra garlic)
2 T toasted sesame oil
Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain the noodles and rinse well with cold water. When thoroughly drained, toss them with a little bit of sesame oil. Meanwhile, mix together all of the sauce ingredients except sesame oil. Once you’ve combined everything else, slowly drizzle in the oil while you whisk (or mix with a fork) — this isn’t an absolutely necessary step, and it’s left out of the NYT recipe, but it helps emulsify the ingredients so they don’t separate later. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix it up! You can either chill them for a bit, or just eat them right away, garnished with the cucumber, peanuts, and optional chicken.
Tags: chicken, Chinese, noodles, peanut butter, recipe, sesame
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