Garlic Sesame Noodle Salad

Since we don’t have any social activity to go to tonight or tomorrow, I decided to make this garlic sesame noodle salad for dinner. I have some gluten-free brown rice noodles in my cupboard, and they are just perfect for this recipe.

Recently, I posted a rice noodle salad recipe on this blog called Savory Chinese Rice Noodle Salad. Most of my friends are crazy about this recipe. However, it requires two unique ingredients: Shaanxi style chili oil and spice broth. But what if you ran out of one or both of those two pre-prepared homemade ingredients, and you don’t have time to prepare new batches, just like happen to me today? Oops! Don’t worry. Just bookmark this garlic sesame noodle salad recipe. It requires a few commonly used ingredients, and the preparation is so quick and simple, that it can be done in 15 minutes or less.

The people from Henan Province, China, my mother and grandmothers home town, really like garlic in their noodle dishes. In fact, they like garlic so much, they practically eat it like Americans eat popcorn at the movies. I discovered this when I visited a restaurant there and saw a giant basket full of garlic, that customers would grab from to eat with their food. Raw garlic has a distinctive sharp flavor compared to cooked garlic. In this recipe, I heated some canola oil on the stove over high heat, and then poured it over the minced garlic. The high temperature from the hot oil helps to extract most of the distinct flavor from the garlic and at the same time reduces its sharpness. The fragrance from garlic was released instantly and filled our kitchen.

Are you looking for a simple way to spice up your noodle salad? This garlic sesame noodle salad has a robust flavor from the roasted garlic and sesame seeds, at an appetizing and comfortable level, without any sharp or pungent garlic taste. If you are one of those persons with a higher level of sophistication and like more adventurous dishes, try this one out.

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Garlic Sesame Noodle Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep time:  7 mins

Cook time:  8 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 2-4 servings

 

Tools: Knife and cutting board, 3-quart saucepan, 6-inch sauté pan, a mixing bowl, colander, pasta ladle, measuring spoons

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 8 oz uncooked Gluten-Free Brown Rice noodles
• 2 tbs canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce (gluten-free if desired)
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 3 tsp chopped green onion

Instructions

1. Add water in a saucepan. Bring it to a rolling boil. Add uncooked noodles to the saucepan. Cook for 8 minutes and stir occasionally. Or follow the package instructions.
2. While the noodles are cooking, place the minced garlic, 1 tsp of sesame seeds, and 2 tsp of green onion in a heat-proof container or bowl. Heat a sauté pan over high heat until smoky hot. Add oil and heat for 10-30 seconds until the oil is hot. Remove the pan from heat and carefully pour the oil onto the minced garlic. Set aside.
3. Rinse the noodles with cold water in a colander and drain well. Place the noodles in the mixing bowl. Add the garlic-oil mixture, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Gently toss.
4. Garnish with the rest of sesame seeds and green onion on top before serving.

Notes

If the rice noodles are cooked in advance, slightly warm them up in microwave oven before adding the other ingredients.

taken by : http://lightorangebean.com/garlic-sesame-noodle-salad/