I'm going to the mountains tomorrow to celebrate my Dad's birthday (11 days early but when everyone could get together.) So I'm going to make one of my favorite bring-along dishes. It's VERY easy! People never expect me to bring anything I've cooked, so it's been fun to cook up something for the last 3 weekends. Here's the recipe:
Sesame Noodles with Asparagus Tips
From the book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
Serves 6 to 8
Introduction
Whenever people ask what they can make a lot of easily and ahead of time for a party, this is what I suggest. It’s endlessly versatile; you can vary the vegetable to go with the season, using, for example, snow peas, roasted peppers, grilled eggplant, julienned carrots, mung bean sprouts, and fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms.
Ingredients
Marinade
¼ cup sesame oil
3 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
7 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. Chinese black or balsamic vinegar
3½ Tbsp. dark brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili oil
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Noodles and asparagus
~ Salt
2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 (14 oz.) package thin Chinese egg noodles
10 scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted until lightly browned
Steps
Mix the marinade ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the asparagus. Cook until bright green and tender but still firm, just a few minutes. Scoop the asparagus out, rinse it under cold water, and set on a towel to dry.
Pull the noodles apart with your fingers, add them to the boiling water, and give them a quick stir. Boil until tender but not overly soft, tasting them often as they cook. It should take only a few minutes. Pour the noodles into a colander and immediately rinse under cold water. Shake off the excess water.
Toss the noodles with all the marinade and most of the scallions, sesame seeds, and asparagus. Mound them in a bowl or on a platter, then garnish with the remaining asparagus, scallions, and sesame seeds.
This content is from the book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.
