Wednesday, July 28, 2004
By BILL DALEY
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Sometimes the simplest dishes raise the most fuss. So it is with cold sesame noodles. For years I toiled without success to find just the right zing, only to find the answer not in pricey tahini (sesame seed) pastes but inplain old peanut butter.
Admittedly, the peanut butter in question wasn't Skippy or Jif. Rather it was a high-quality, all-natural product. And it was jazzed up by the late Barbara Tropp, a San Francisco author and restaurateur, with plenty of raw garlic, sugar and hot red chili paste. I was addicted at first bite.
Tropp was often called the Julia Child of Chinese food for her ability to soothe, encourage and educate novice cooks. Her recipe for a Sichuan-style peanut sauce from "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" offered no obstacles: Everything is whirred in the food processor until smooth.
Her peanut sauce is great over cold poached chicken or used as a dip for grilled shrimp. I like it best stirred into cold, cooked noodles and topped with a handful of finely chopped green onion.
I love to serve these noodles with a cold asparagus salad and perhaps a grilled tenderloin of pork glazed with soy sauce and various Asian spices. Follow with coconut or green tea ice creams.
MENU
"Sesame" noodles
Asparagus salad
Green tea or coconut ice cream
Gewurztraminer or home-brewed iced tea
TIPS
Make the peanut sauce hours in advance to allow flavors to bloom.
Run the cooked pasta under cold water, toss lightly to dry, then lightly oil the strands with toasted sesame oil to keep them from sticking together.
'SESAME' NOODLES WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
10 cloves garlic
1/2 cup each: all-natural peanut butter, soy sauce
5 tablespoons sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons hot chili oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 pound spaghetti, cooked according to package directions, cooled
2 green onions, chopped
Mince the garlic in a food processor, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
Add peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, chili oil and rice wine. Puree 1 minute.
Put the spaghetti in a large bowl; top with sauce. Mix until the pasta strands are evenly coated. Garnish with green onions.
Serves 6.
Nutrition information per serving: 470 calories, 27 percent of calories from fat, 14 g fat, 2.7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 70 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 1,626 mg sodium, 4.8 g fiber.