One of my favorite take-out dishes from my NYC musical theatre days is sesame noodles. Served warm or cold (I prefer warm to get that hit of aromatic spice), these were always served with a Lot of sauce in NYC, and just aren't the same on the west coast.
Since its invention in NYC's Chinatown in the '70's (Thank you Shorty Tang), it's seen a huge variety of iterations, from no veggies to tons of veggies and all gradients of spice. There was a great, tiny little spot on 71st and 1st (2nd?) that was always busy, served free wine while you waited, and really delicious food. I miss that little spot.
So here's my gluten-free take on this delicious Chinese-American east coast classic.
Prep: 15 mins Total Time: 25 min Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound rice noodles (use any kind you like, just nothing thinner than spaghetti)
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth, but if you like crunchy, have at it!)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic)
1 tsp garlic chili sauce, chili crisp or chili oil to taste
2 Persian cucumbers sliced thin into batons
1/2 red bell pepper sliced very thin
1/4 cup roast chopped peanuts
sesame seeds for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
bring a pot of water to a boil and cook rice noodles according to package instructions. Don't let them get mushy! Strain, toss with a splash of sesame oil and set aside
in a large bowl toss together sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, bell pepper and chili sauce.
add noodles to bowl and toss to combine
adjust seasoning to taste and transfer to serving bowl
garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds, and cucumber and enjoy.
Feel free to serve this with cheap-but-tasty white zinfandel and a sound track of bustling NYC Summer evening streets.