The trick to this bold Sichuan dish-street food-style noodles that took this country by storm in the 1980s and became an all-American favorite-is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce for very long. Toss them together a few seconds before serving. You can find recipes that are more authentic than this one (we've stuck to supermarket ingredients), but we doubt they'll be better. If you want to dress up the noodles for a party, spread them on a roomy platter and garnish them with all sorts of interesting things. Make concentric rings of bright bell pepper slices, sliced scallions, shredded carrots, shredded chicken, and cilantro, for instance, or arrange the garnishes in lines, as on a traditional Cobb salad. Gorgeous.
Ingredients
FOR DRESSING
½ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
FOR NOODLES
¾ pound dried thin linguine (linguine fini) or spaghetti
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8 inch-wide strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Method
MAKE THE DRESSING: Combine all ingredi-ents in a blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
MAKE THE NOODLES: Cook pasta in a 6-to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt per every 4 quarts water) until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.
Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.
SERVES 6 AS A SIDE DISH, 4 AS A MAIN COURSE
ACTIVE TIME: 30 MINUTES
START TO FINISH: 30 MINUTES
Source
The Gourmet Cookbook