Sometimes, simple is best.
Often, simple is best.
Most of the time, simple is best. There are so many wonderful, inherently delicious flavors in the most simple ingredients, and you don't always have to grind and sauté and mix and beat and sear and combine thousands of ingredients to make something utterly delicious.
Sesame noodles fall under that umbrella.
This is a very simple recipe for yummy sesame noodles. You can eat them by themselves. You can pair them with delicious roasted beef tenderloin. You can load them with red bell pepper, fresh cilantro, or cooked, chopped shrimp.
I love them just the way they are.
Start by cooking noodles. Japanese noodles, linguine, angel hair... or thin spaghetti, which is all I had in the house. Drain them and keep warm.
Next comes the simple sauce/dressing: 1/4 cup soy sauce.
These measurements are all approximations; I almost always go in after the fact and taste, adjust, taste, adjust.
I’m a rebel. That’s what I am. Adhering to recipes makes me feel trapped.
Chop up 3 to 4 cloves of garlic.
Now add 3 tablespoons white sugar to the soy sauce.
Sweet and savory. It’s my favorite combination.
Throw in the garlic.
Rice vinegar. You can get it anywhere!
Add about 2 tablespoons.
Next comes sesame oil, which is one of my top ten favorite culinary scents of all time. It’s seriously up there with rosemary, cilantro, and baking bread. Sesame oil makes everything delicious.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons.
It’s a strong flavor, so you might start with 2, then work your way up from there.
Next comes hot chili oil. Why I didn’t take a photo of the bottle or my adding the 1/2 teaspoon of the stuff, I’ll never know. But trust me. It’s there.
Start with 1/2 teaspoon. You can always add more later. It’s spicy.
Next comes canola oil—about 4 to 5 tablespoons. This’ll just add to the volume of the sauce/dressing a bit, without adding much more flavor—the flavor we’ve already added is stuh-RONG.
I also add 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water before whisking the mixture together. That always gives it the perfect consistency!
Throw the warm noodles into a large bowl.
Now just pour in the sauce, baby!
Gently toss the noodles together with tongs.
Or your hands, as long as they’re clean.
There’s plenty of sauce/dressing, so toss and toss and toss to get the noodles thoroughly coated.
Now grab a few green onions and lop off the tops…
Then slice ’em up and sprinkle ’em on the noodles.
Really go for it! The green onions give the noodles a wonderful flavor.
Wonderful, simple, delicious Sesame Noodles.
What is better than this?
Let’s have a closer look.
Let’s have an even closer look!
I can’t be trusted with a macro lens.
I also can’t be trusted with these noodles.
Make them this weekend!
