Cold Sesame Noodles 66

This is a quirky but refreshingly different, visually stunning and tasty recipe. I made it as written and discovered what I think may be a couple of errors in the directions provided. First, halve the amount of broth. (Think about it: 2 1/2 cups of liquid go into the broth and you serve up only 1 1/2 cups of it.) The recipe also calls for a lot of mung bean sprouts. Second, pour the broth over the warmed, cooked cellophane noodles some time before you make up the plates. After some time (1 hour?) the noodles absorb ALL the broth and become plump and beautifully translucent brown. I discovered this quite by accident, when one family member was not ready to come to the table. As written, the salad sits in a strange-flavored puddle of broth. Further supporting my idea is that the recipe asks you to warm the noodles before serving. Why would you do that when all of the other ingredients are cold or at room temperature? Do make Jean-Georges's Peanut-Sesame Sauce from the same issue of Bon Appetit to go with the salad. It's unlike the typical peanut sauce.

• Anonymous

• Naples, FL

• 9/8/2012

We loved this dish. There was a lot of prep work but it was worth it. I didn't mix the ingredients together in one big bowl, rather, I created each person's dish separately, so the noodles and the other ingredients would remain fresh when we have the leftovers tomorrow night (Yum). I chose to use chow mein stir fry noodles which worked out well. I didn't have any coriander seeds so I substituted a combination of sage, lemon peel and caraway. It blended with the rest of the ingredients very well. I didn't bother to buy the Peanut-Sesame sauce & instead made my own. I took 1/4 - 1/2 cup of broth and added the nut butter, the ginger and the sesame seeds and mixed it together. The recipe is simple and it's easy to modify for your tastes.

• Anonymous

• CT

• 4/23/2011

This was pretty good. I enjoyed the dish....but I likely won't make it again as for a simple cold noodle dish, it was actually quite time consuming (i.e., making the broth, letting it steep, candying the garlic and ginger for the sauce, etc.). It was good, but I think I can achieve the same level of "good" with substantially less work. :) Hubs rates it 2.5 forks, but I say three.

• lesliemari

• Ottawa, ON

• 7/7/2010

Absolutely delicious! I couldn't find the noodles they were asking for, so I used Soba noodles and they still tasted incredible! Two of my friends (who had never even had much Asian cuisine beyond Sweet N Sour Chicken) absolutely adored it as well! I recommend for all.. great flavor and texture and you can really play around with presentation and have fun with that as well!

• MelissaKathryn

• Vienna, VA and Atlanta, GA

• 5/31/2009

Pretty tasty. I love the peanut sauce especially. Quick, easy, and a great noodle recipe!

• barbmia

• Toronto

• 1/6/2009

Simply devine. I can't believe the flavors but my favorite was the garlic, ginger & sugar that's sauteed until amber - this was like a pow of flavor in the dish - amazing! My friend loved it too!

• lora_lu

• Denver, CO

• 3/12/2008

It was quite good. My family enjoyed it. It was a little soupy for me but I did not have sesame seeds on hand and used Tahini in place of it. We also added chicken to make it more like a meal. Next time I would not include this. Very Fresh.

• Anonymous

• Louisville, KY

• 2/16/2008

This is delicious made as instructed. The flavors and textures are great, and the presentation is beautiful. The only thing I might change in the future is to make a little less broth, noodles, and sprouts: I had more than I could use. All the steps are easy; just make sure you have an hour to carry them out.

• Anonymous

• New York

• 3/10/2007

I used japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) instead and serve with shrimps tempura on the side. I chose to put the sauce on the side as well so that people can adjust the amount of sauce they would like to add in. Very tasty and elegant!

• murphy_brown

• Mtl

• 2/27/2007

This dish turned out amazing - we all loved it. I used whole wheat spaghettini instead of rice noodles for better food value. I'd recommend serving it deconstructed (as written) because it makes a great presentation and the separate sauces save better for leftovers. The two sauces make much more than 6 small servings.

• Anonymous

• Minneapolis, MN

• 12/7/2006

I rate this 3 1/2 forks, rounded up to 4, b/c I thought it was delicious, but not up to my standard of "beyond compare." My husband and I thought that this was very tasty. I did combine some of the broth (about 1/2) with the peanut sauce, as my peanut sauce was rather thick (perhaps b/c I used tahini (sesame paste) since I didn't have any seeds). I added cooked asparagus (cut diagonally), shredded carrots (from Trader Joes), and julienned red & yellow peppers for color and variety. I also added some grilled chicken, cut diagonally. You can use the sauce & broth and noodles as your "base" and then add whatever you like as veggies/meat. I doubled the sauce so now I have extra on hand in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal.

• zoohouse

• Los Gatos, CA

• 5/24/2006

This recipe is delicious, but if you're going to serve it for company, I do not recommend mixing the broth and peanut sauce - it tastes fine but looks disgusting. I fried some frozen and thawed tofu (as per Moosewood) in sesame oil and added it to the finished product.

• Anonymous

• 旧金山,

• 2/26/2006

This was absolutely delicious. I took another reviewers' advice and combined the broth with the peanut sauce and added the noodles. I garnished it right before serving. It was tasty and restaurant quality. Very authentic. I brought it to a Southeast Asian potluck function of the American Institure of Wine and Food and it was a hit! I xeroxed copies of the recipe and had them on the table with the dish. They were snapped up too!

• GShaw1

• Woodland Hills, CA, USA

• 12/12/2005

This dish is terrific. You can combine the broth and sauce with noodles and add the noodles and chill it in the frig.

• Anonymous

• Boston, MA

• 4/10/2005

Wonderful!

• Anonymous

• Eastpointe, MI

• 2/20/2005