Cold Sesame Noodles is one of those mainstay recipes I know Cook and I will make over and over again in years to come.  The simple peanut sauce hugs the noodles quite deliciously. Every Cook and Chef should have such a recipe in their back pocket. If you like Satay chicken skewers, you’ll love it.  You can control the heat level by the type of chili you choose.  It would be a great dipping sauce for chicken, wings, just about anything!  Definitely check this one out… Tyler Florence outdid himself!  It really is the ultimate peanut sauce!

What you need…

1/2 pound dried buckwheat (soba) noodles*

9 Tbs. dark sesame oil**

1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and crushed with your knife***

2 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of your knife

1 red Thai bird chile, minced, seeds and all****

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1/2 Cup peanut butter

1/4 Cup rice vinegar

1/4 Cup low-sodium soy sauce

6 Tbs. water, room temperature

1 Tbs. chili sauce*****

1 Tbs. Sesame seeds, for garnish

2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal (no one would miss the onions, would they Cook?)

1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish

Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add the noodles and cool for 3-4 minutes until tender but still firm.  Drain immediately and rinse under cold water to cool.  Drain noodles well and transfer to wide bowl and toss with sesame oil so they don’t stick together.

Make the sauce…

In saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sesame oil over medium-low heat.  Add the ginger, garlic, and chili.  Cook, stirring for a minute, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.******  Place into a blender (or food processor) along with the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, hot water, chili sauce, and remaining sesame oil.  Puree and refrigerate until cold.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown.  Put the noodles in a serving bowl, and toss with peanut sauce.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve with lime wedges.

We have made this several times since we tried it with the duck breast and each time it gets better and better!

*don’t be scared!  These are really easy to find in the Asian isle of your grocery store.  If you can’t find them, you can use just about any thin noodle that you like.

**use any sesame oil you have in the pantry. We had a light version and it worked just fine.

***store left-over ginger in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to a month

**** We had no idea what thai bird chiles were so we guessed at the store based on our liking of heat.  A reader sent us this link later that helped the second time we made this dish.  (http://www.foodsubs.com/Chilefre.html#Thai).  But I am of the opinion that you can use most any peppers depending on what you like.  I wouldn’t use a sweet pepper like a red or green bell pepper.  But I think you could use a habanero or any chili in this recipe… just be careful of the heat!

***** Not Heinz Chili sauce for this one (even though Heinz is the best!)  But for this recipe, check out the Asian isle.

****** We cook for longer than 1 minute. It doesn’t seem to be ready after a minute.