Sichuan Noodles with Sesame Sauce
This tasty vegetarian dish resembles Thamin Lethok, a burmese dish, which also consists of flavoured noodles served with separate vegetables that are tossed at the table. This illustrates neatly how recipes migrate from one country to another.
Ingredients
- 450g / 1lb fresh or 225g / 8oz dried egg noodles
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced lengthways, seeded and diced
- 4-6 spring onions
- a bunch of radishes, about 115g / 4oz
- 225g / 8oz mooli, peeled
- 115g / 4oz / 2 cups beansprouts, rinsed then left in iced water and drained
- 60ml / 4 tbsp groundnut oil or sunflower oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 45mI / 3 tbsp toasted sesame paste
- 15ml / 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 15ml / 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 5-10mI / 1-2 tsp chilli sauce, to taste
- 15ml / 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 120ml / 4fl oz / ½ cup chicken stock or water
- 5ml/1 tsp sugar, or to taste salt and ground black pepper
- roasted peanuts or cashew nuts, to garnish
Preparation
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- If using fresh noodles, cook them in boiling water for 1 minute then drain well. Rinse the noodles in fresh water and drain again. Cook dried noodles according to the instructions on the packet, draining and rinsing them as for fresh noodles.
- Sprinkle the cucumber with salt, leave for 15 minutes, rinse well, then drain and pat dry on kitchen paper. Place in a large salad bowl.
- Cut the spring onions into fine shreds. Cut the radishes in half and slice finely. Coarsely grate the mooli using a mandolin or a food processor. Add all the vegetables to the cucumber and toss gently.
- Heat half the oil in a wok or frying pan and stir-fry the noodles for about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the noodles to a large serving bowl and keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it is hot, fry the garlic to flavour the oil. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame paste, with the sesame oil, soy and chilli sauces, vinegar and stock or water. Add a little sugar and season to taste. Warm through over a gentle heat. Do not overheat or the sauce will thicken too much. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss well. Garnish with peanuts or cashew nuts and serve with the vegetables.
Serves 3-4.