Saturday, September 29, 2012

Shanghai Noodle Salad


Shanghai Noodle Salad (from AllRecipes, Total Time: 2 hrs., 40 min., Servings: 8)

Ingredients
  • ·         1 pound fresh thick Chinese wheat noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti)
  • ·         ¼ cup ketchup
  • ·         3 ½ Tbsp. sesame oil
  • ·         3 ½ Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • ·         2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • ·         2 tsp. salt
  • ·         1 ½ tsp.  lime juice
  • ·         ¼ cup chopped green onion (green and white parts)
  • ·         2 carrots, peeled and shredded
  • ·         1 small zucchini, cut into matchsticks
  • ·         1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
  • ·         1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
  • ·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes


Directions
  1. 1.       Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions for al dente.  Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Rinse the noodles with cold water several times to chill, then drain again.
  2. 2.       In a large salad bowl, whisk together the ketchup, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, kosher salt, and lime juice until the brown sugar has dissolved.
  3. 3.       Place the noodles, green onion, carrots, zucchini, red pepper, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes into the bowl, and gently toss to thoroughly mix the salad and coat with dressing.
  4. 4.       Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

I’ve heard the term “foodgasm” tossed around lately – and I think that’s the perfect description for this meal.  It was absolutely delicious!  I used a mixture of wheat and Ronzoni’s garden delight spaghettis (what we had on hand), sea salt, and cayenne instead of red pepper flakes (we didn’t have any, which was a huge surprise to me).  The taste is addictive – it tasted as good as anything I’d get from my favorite Asian restaurant, and better than I’d get at some.  I cannot wait to try this again!  I will probably add some Trader Joe’s Chik’n Strips next time to kick up the protein content.  Perfect and a definite keeper!

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