The dish is wonderfully flexible. I’ve made it with buckwheat soba, Italian capellini, and, in a pinch, the noodle block from a 50¢ packet of instant ramen, flavor pouch discarded. But I draw the line at rice-based noodles, which tend to seize up when chilled. Hulking strands of udon are no good here, either.
I’ve suggested some inexpensive toppings to get you started, but the recipe can easily accommodate slivered roast pork, shredded duck, chopped shrimp, or whatever leftovers lurk in your fridge. Just make sure to provide a range of colors and textures.
The only constant is the glossy, emulsified sauce of nut butter, vinegar and soy, and even that can be sweetened or sharpened to your liking.
- serves 2 -
- 12 ounces ramen, soba, or egg noodles
1/4-1/2 cup each of at least 3 or 4 of the following toppings:
- Carrots, julienned and blanched for 30 seconds
- Corn kernels, fresh (blanched for 1 minute) or canned
- Mung bean sprouts, blanched for 1 minute
- Cucumbers, de-seeded and julienned
- Plain omelet, sliced in strips
- Extra-firm tofu, in 1/2-inch cubes
- Turkey Ham, sliced in strips
- Cooked chicken, shredded
- Sesame dressing (recipe follows)
- Sesame seeds or crushed peanuts (optional)
- Assemble desired toppings and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. [Time-saving tip: Blanch all of your vegetables in the same pot of water. Load one vegetable into a sieve or wire basket that rests comfortably on the rim of the pot, and plunge into boiling water. When vegetable is done, remove the sieve from the pot and transfer contents to a bowl of ice water. Repeat with remaining vegetables.]
- Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and shock in ice water or rinse under a cold tap until cool to the touch. Drain.
- Place noodles into individual serving bowls. Arrange toppings over noodles and sprinkle, if desired, with sesame seeds or crushed peanuts. Just before serving, drizzle with Sesame Dressing and toss to coat.
Sesame Dressing
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter or tahini (more if you like it thicker)
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice, wine or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark (Asian) sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced (optional)
- Chili powder or hot sauce (optional, to taste)
Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.
If mixing by hand, place tahini or peanut butter and sugar in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in wet ingredients until mixture is creamy and uniform. If desired, stir in garlic and hot sauce or chili powder to taste.
source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/07/eat-for-eight-bucks-shanghaiish-cold-noodles-recipe.html
tags: summer, can be made vegetarian/vegan/pareve
notes: Eliz made this with somen (which was fine) but we were low on fresh veggies and blanched some Trader Joe's Stir-Fry veggies to put on top along with some cucumbers and steamed broccoli and blanched red peppers. Meh. It was okay and healthy, but not exciting or something we'd make because we desired to eat it again. The dressing was fine, but we either need to do something else about the veggies or dump the recipe.