CooklyBookly: Spicy Sesame Noodles

cooklybookly

Prep 5 minutes

Total 25 minutes

Serves

US | Metric

Spicy Sesame Noodles

These noodles are delicious, full of flavour and surprisingly fresh. And they come together in less than 30 minutes! The dish can be served at room temperature for a light, summery meal, or served warm alongside roasted salmon a simple, hearty dinner.

The sauce is the star of the show. It combines soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chilli oil, sesame seeds, sugar and toasted sesame oil. The noodles are a close second. I use Korean sweet potato noodles. They’re delicious and chewy, and they happen to be healthy! They’re naturally fat free, gluten-free and low in calories. You can buy them from any Asian supermarket or online. Finally, we have the kale. Though not the star of the show, it adds freshness and texture. If you think you don’t like kale, it might be because you haven’t had it in the right way. This right here is the right way, so please do give it a try!

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 tbsps light soy sauce
2 tbsps kecap manis
2 tbsps Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp Lee Kum Kee chilli oil
2 tsps sugar
3 tbsps toasted sesame oil

For the noodles:

250 g dried glass noodles
100 g kale, roughly chopped

METHOD

Combine the light soy sauce, kecap manis, Chinese black vinegar, sesame seeds, chilli oil and sugar in a large heatproof bowl. The bowl should be large enough to hold and toss your noodles.
Heat the toasted sesame oil in a small saucepan over high heat until shimmering (aka until hot). Pour the hot oil into the sauce and stir to combine. This is going to help dissolve the sugar, ‘activate’ the flavours and bring them together. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to package instructions. These are the noodles I use – they’re cheaper in store than they are online. Drain, rinse under cold water until warm to the touch, then drain again. Transfer the noodles to the sauce and toss to coat.
Bring another pot of water to the boil over high heat. Salt the water then add the kale. Boil for 2 minutes then drain well. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press the kale down onto the sieve to release as much water as possible.
Add the kale to the noodles and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be just right, but you can add more soy sauce, vinegar and/or more chilli oil, to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature – enjoy!

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