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Clean recipe · cooking.nytimes.com

Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles

Noodles dressed with sesame are popular in many parts of China, but this particular style, made with peanut butter and served cold, became a Chinese-American staple in the United States in the 1970s. The family of Shorty Tang — an ambitious restaurateur who emigrated from Sichuan to Taipei to New York — firmly believes that he invented the dish and still serve it at Hwa Yuan, the restaurant he opened in 1967 in Manhattan’s Chinatown. They have never divulged the exact recipe; this is our own lush but refreshing version. Sam Sifton

Original recipe: cooking.nytimes.com

Yield:
4 servings
Total:
10 min
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Ingredients

  1. 1 pound noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh
  2. 2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
  3. 3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
  4. 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  5. 2 tablespoons sesame paste (preferably Chinese)
  6. 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
  7. 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  8. 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
  9. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  10. 2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chile oil, or to taste
  11. Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch by ⅛-inch by 2-inch sticks
  12. ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. They should retain a hint of chewiness.
  2. Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chile-garlic paste.
  4. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss.
  5. Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.