For years now, I have been listening to an old coworker talk about his love of sesame noodles. It really was more like an obsession. After making them this week, I’ve started to understand. While this version is probably a lighter, healthier, and less traditional version, I think he would be more than happy to have some. Paired with some delicious Asian-inspired chicken meatballs, you can’t go wrong. Break out the chopsticks!
Sesame Noodles
1/2 box of whole wheat spaghetti
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 scallion, chopped with extra for garnish
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sake, rice wine, or apple cider (non-traditional I know, but it was what I had in the fridge)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
Cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Meanwhile, saute the shallot, garlic, and scallion in half the sesame oil until softened. Add the peanut butter, fish sauce, mirin, vinegar, Teriyaki sauce, and sake/cider. Stir to combine and let cook with about 1/2 cup of pasta water for 5 minutes.
Off the heat, add the pasta along with the rest of the sesame oil and the lemon. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.
When making meatballs, the MOST important part is making sure you use enough breadcrumbs. No one likes rock hard meatballs, which comes from only using meat. If you can’t make your own (and it’s REALLY worth it, trust me), at least use some packaged breadcrumbs and soak them in a little milk. Ok. I’m done with the caps lock.
Chicken Meatballs
1 pound ground chicken
1 scallion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, not ground too finely
1 egg
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons mirin
1 teaspoon plus 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs if needed
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Combine the chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, scallion, garlic, half the ginger, and teaspoons of mirin and teriyaki sauce in a large bowl. Add dry breadcrumbs if it seems too wet to stay in loose balls. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls and saute in the sesame oil until they brown on all sides. Remove to a baking dish.
Add the remaining ginger, mirin, teriyaki, vinegar, and fish sauce to the pan and stir together. Pour over the meatballs and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.