Ma jiang liang mian — cold sesame noodles with cucumber
A summer dish from Beijing and Sichuan: cold egg noodles coated in a creamy toasted sesame, soya sauce and black vinegar dressing, with crisp cucumber and carrot and a quick chilli oil to add at the table.
Method
- Bring 2 litres unsalted water to the boil in a 3-litre saucepan. Meanwhile, dry-toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring and watching constantly, until pale golden and nutty-smelling. Immediately tip onto a plate, or they will burn in the hot pan. Reserve 3 g (1 tsp) whole for the topping and grind the rest in a mortar to an oily, fragrant powder.
- For the chilli oil, put the chilli flakes and crushed Sichuan pepper, if using, in a heatproof small dish. Heat the sunflower oil in the same small frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until a chilli flake dropped in sizzles immediately. Pour over the chilli, which will foam and release its fragrance, and leave to infuse until serving. Cut the cucumber and carrot into fine 5 cm matchsticks, finely slice the spring onion and finely grate the garlic.
- For the dressing, whisk the tahini in a bowl with cold water, a spoonful at a time. The paste tightens at first, then turns smooth and glossy. Stop when it falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon, after about 25 g water; add the reserved 10 g if it is still stiff. Mix in the ground sesame, soya sauce, black vinegar, sugar and garlic, then 5 g sesame oil. Taste: the dressing should be distinctly salty, tangy and only slightly sweet; adjust with 1 tsp soya sauce or vinegar. It can wait until needed.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water, separate with chopsticks and cook for 3–4 minutes, 1 minute less than the packet timing, so they remain firm when cold. Taste: they should be supple with a little bite at the centre. Drain, immediately rinse under cold water while stirring until cold, then shake the colander thoroughly. Tip into the mixing bowl and immediately toss with the remaining 3 g sesame oil (1 tsp), lifting with chopsticks to separate the strands; the oil prevents them from clumping.
- Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss, lifting, until every strand is coated. Add the cucumber, carrot and half the spring onion, toss once, then divide between two bowls. Scatter over the whole sesame seeds and remaining spring onion. Put the chilli oil on the table: add 1–2 tsp per bowl for heat, or none for those who do not like chilli. Serve immediately, cool but not ice-cold.
On your plate
Recipe
463 kcal · protein 12 g · carbs 44 g · fat 26 g
Quantities per person
- 45 g Dried Chinese wheat and egg noodles
- 20 g Tahini (raw sesame paste)
- 4 g Toasted sesame oil
- 6 g Sesame seeds
- 60 g Cucumbers
- 30 g Carrots
- 7.5 g Spring onions
- 2.5 g Garlic
- 12 g Soya sauce
- 7.5 g Kosher Chinese black vinegar
- 3 g White sugar
- 17.5 g Water
- 6 g Sunflower oil, for frying or as a neutral oil
- 1 g Chilli flakes (peperoncino)
- 0.5 g Sichuan pepper (berry husks)
Cooking tips
Israeli tahini is less toasted than Chinese sesame paste and is unsalted. Freshly toasted, ground sesame restores that roasted flavour, and the soya sauce should come through clearly. If Chinkiang black vinegar is unavailable, use 12 g rice vinegar, which is sharper and less rounded. You can make a jar of chilli oil ahead using 100 g oil to 15 g flakes; it keeps covered in the fridge for a week and is good with bok choy or mapo tofu. To prepare ahead, refrigerate the dressing, oiled noodles and vegetables separately and toss at serving, adding a spoonful of water if the dressing has thickened. Use noodles, tahini and condiments certified kosher pareve.
Beijing cold sesame noodles, ma jiang liang mian, with a spicy Sichuan touch.
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