It’s the middle of Summer and the temperature sure is keeping us hot! Are you also getting high 90s degree (F) in your area like we do? I often found myself craving for something cold for lunch and dinner. Yet, I want something substantial that would keep me full and packed with energies. So when I need to chase the kids at the park or play that extra 10 minutes of soccer, I don’t feel weak and hungry. Or maybe it’s just me getting old, I feel that I’m out of breath after just 15 minutes of run. Okay, walk is more like it, who am I kidding!? Anyhow, I make pasta salad quite often in the summer. But I found myself always go back to this Asian Summer Noodle With Dijon Sesame Dressing (夏の中華冷麵配芝麻芥末醬汁). This truly is my family’s favorite lunch and dinner when the weather is too hot to have a bowl of steamed rice or hot noodle soup.
You might remember the Chicken Cold Noodle from my
Little Girl’s birthday party (see picture below). It’s basically the same idea of a cold noodle but with slightly different ingredients. The version I made for the party has the same dressing and noodles, but I used slightly different toppings. For the party, I used rotisserie chickens, Baby cucumbers, carrots and green onions.
The recipe that I’m sharing today (see picture below) includes ham, red/orange bell pepper, carrots, baby cucumbers, and green onions. I garnish it with a couple of bird’s eye chilies that I crafted into flowers blossoms. This chili is extremely hot so if you don’t like spicy food, you can omit that. But you can always use a milder chili and make the same garnish if you’re serving it at parties and gatherings. I omitted the bell peppers in the noodles I made for the party because some guests are allergic to them. But the bell peppers really adds a nice crunch and sweetness to this dish. So, if you are okay with the bell peppers, use them!
Want to see how I prepare this refreshing and scrumptious Asian Summer Noodle? Follow me to the kitchen.
For this Asian Summer Noodle recipe, the main ingredient of course is the noodle. I used this fresh spaghetti noodle (see picture below) that I bought from the Chinese supermarket. I know, I think my local Chinese market is getting very diversified! I totally love that! You can also use any fresh egg noodles you have on hand. I love this particular one because the texture is wonderful. It remains “bouncy” and el dente even after chilling in the fridge overnight without turning starchy. Maybe I’m picky? But I really dislike starchy noodles. If you’ve ever tasted some chilled white rice straight from the fridge, you know what I’m taking about. Yeah, I don’t recall how I got that experience to begin with, but I did. So, using fresh noodles is very important for this recipe. It’ll make a difference. This is a two pound bag noodle and my recipe only calls for one pound. You can keep the unused portion in a freezer bag and only defrost it in the fridge overnight before use. They will be as nice as fresh.
Now, onto the garnish, the curled green onions and chili blossoms. This is a trick that I learned as kid, watching my parents cook. I was so fascinated by how the ingredients transformed themselves with just a simple trick.
1) First cut the green onions into 2 inches sections. Then, thinly slice them vertically.
2) Split the chili vertically and carefully into 5 or 6 sections, depending on the size. The bigger the chili, the more number of incision you can make.
3) Soak the cut up chili in a small bowl of iced water and watch the “blossom” opens up one by one right before your eyes. Speaking of eyes, no matter what happens, don’t rub your eyes after you’ve handled the chili. Especially if you have forgotten to use a pair of glove, like me! Oh my!
4) Soak the green onions in a separate bowl of iced water. They will curl up in no time. By he way, the darker part of the green onion will curl up better than the white part, and they are milder in taste compare to the white and light green parts. So, use the whole green onion and don’t waste any piece!
Pretty easy, isn’t it? Now, you can make your own edible garnish at home easily. Not only they are pretty to look at, they add lots of flavors to the dish as well.
Let’s move on to the dressing. This dressing couldn’t be more easy to prepare, yet packed with wonderful and complex flavors. Here’s how I made it.
I) First, place the toasted sesame seeds in a small food processor.
II) Process the sesame seeds alone until it’s powdery.
III) Add the rest of the ingredients (see recipe below) into the food processor.
IV) Blend until everything is smooth. And that’s it. Keep the dressing in the fridge until ready to serve.
Since my kids love this noodle, I keep the dressing on the milder side and only used 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. But if you love a little more kick, by all means add another teaspoon of Dijon mustard or whatever amount you preferred. Just taste the dressing along the way and adjust it to your own liking. Add a little at a time because you can always add more, but you can’t remove an ingredient from the mix.
Note:
Please click here to see the bottle of the Japanese Mayo that I used.
Now, onto the main ingredients. Here’s how I prepared them.
A) Julienned the cucumbers, bell peppers and carrots and keep them separated. I cut all of them in approximately 2-inch length. Set aside.
B) Prepare a large bowl of ice water and have it close by.
C) In a large sauce pan, bring the water to a boil. Blanch the carrots for a minute or two until crisp tender, depending on the thickness.
D) With a slotted spoon, remove the carrots into the prepared bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
E) Place the carrots onto a clean kitchen paper towel and gently pat them dry. Set aside.
F) In the same pot of hot water, let the water return to a boil. Cook the noodles until el dente, according to the package’s instructions. Mine were done in only 3 minutes. Remember, fresh noodles cook a lot faster than dried ones. When the noodles are done, drain them in a colander and pour iced water over the noodles to stop the cooking process.
Last but not least, toss the noodles with the rest of the ingredients along with the dressing and enjoy. Keep in mind, the noodle taste even better when it’s well chilled. So, they actually taste better the next day. The Dijon and Sesame Dressing is truly amazing. It’s fragrant and very flavorful. The light soy sauce (生抽)gives the dressing the depth and complex of flavors. Remember to use the light soy sauce and not the dark one. The dark soy sauce (老抽) is less salty, thicker and much darker in color compared to the light soy sauce. I usually use the dark one for marinade only or when I need a deeper color in a dish. Most Chinese supermarkets carry both, so make sure you get the right one. Quite often, I only see the “light” soy sauce in American market.
This recipe is perfect for summer parties and gatherings. Be prepared that your guests will all ask you for the recipe after they’ve tried it. One last tip before you go, if you’re serving this for parties, make it a day ahead of time. But instead of tossing all ingredients together. Do what I did. Spread the cooked noodles on a large plate or platter, then place all the ingredients around the plate in sections as shown in the picture below. Place the green onions and chili blossom in the middle, then cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. That makes a more beautiful presentation. Place the dressing in a bowl, covered and keep refrigerated. For the party, I doubled the whole recipe. Also, I serve the dressing on the side for the guests to drizzle as much or as little as they want.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try because I know you’re going to love it as much as my family does. Stay cool and happy cooking!
