Friday, September 30, 2011

Peanut Sesame Noodles

As much as I love Asian flavors, particularly Chinese, I am reluctant to order this cuisine in a restaurant. Even when the menu boasts "NO MSG," I find after eating a typical Chinese meal out, I am sluggish and bloated for days. Rather than give up these favorite foods, I look for ways to lighten them up and reduce the sodium. I also pay attention to portion size, often making the food in question a side dish rather than the main event. I can't think of anything better than combining the wonderful flavor of peanut butter with pasta and sesame seeds. It's like a triple-header for a baseball fan. As a side dish for Asian-inspired skinless chicken legs, these peanut sesame noodles were a delicious treat. The bonus was I didn't feel like the Pillsbury doughboy the next day.


Serves 4-6
Dressing:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c warm water
2 T fresh chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T sesame oil
2 tsp honey
red pepper flakes

Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and puree for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. T

Prepare 3/4 lb angel hair pasta according to package instructions, drain, and add to dressing. Toss to coat. Toss with:


4 scallions, sliced thin
3 T toasted sesame seeds


For best flavor, serve at room temperature.
*********************************************
TASTE NOTES
I loved the flavors of this easy side dish, but did not care for how the pasta stuck together. It got better as it cooled off, but adding a tiny bit of sesame oil and retossing is advised. I served this with sauteed bok choy and oven Chinese-style BBQ skinless chicken legs. There were plenty of leftovers which are just as tasty straight from the fridge (so be forewarned).



4 comments:

  1. I just love the sesame flavor in Asian dishes, it addicting this looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The flavor in this sounds amazing. Crave worthy. Looks so delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay, so now I'm totally craving these ultimately creamy looking noodles. So much so that I'm going to get up off the couch and see if I have all the ingredients. LOL! I love having dishes like this on hand to eat on during the week so the leftovers are definitely welcome.

    Looks wonderful Arlene!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I lived on cold sesame-peanut noodles during my salad days. When I moved to MN - I found out they didn't exist here (and still don't) so I scarf up every recipe I can find! Loving this!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting The Food of Love. I know it takes time to make a comment, but please know that they are very much appreciated.