Chilled Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shrimp Recipe




For the Noodles:

  • 1 lb. thin noodles, cooked and rinsed (I used angel hair pasta)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon hot chili paste
  • 1 teaspoon mirin (optional)
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 3-4 carrots, grated
  • squeeze of lemon

For the Shrimp:
  • 1 lb. shrimp, cleaned, patted dry, and deveined (see note)
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tablespoon hot chili paste
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon fresh or ground ginger
  • pinch salt and pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions
  1. For the Noodles: Cook your noodles according to package directions. When cooked, drain the water from the noodles, place in a colander, and rinse with cold water until the noodles are no longer warm. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. In a wok or saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat over medium. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes or so, until fragrant. Set aside until ready to use.
  3. In a large bowl, toss together the sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili paste, mirin, salt, scallions, carrots, and lemon juice. Add in the cooked noodles, toss to combine, taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add in the cooled and cooked garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. For the Shrimp: In a wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add in the shallot and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the chili paste, Sriracha, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, salt, and pepper in a bowl, and toss the cleaned shrimp in the mixture.
  5. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes or so, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, and set aside to cool to room temperature before adding to the noodles. I kept the shrimp and noodle separate when I stored them in the fridge, as I cooked this earlier in the day to serve for dinner. It kept quite well, and keeping the shrimp apart from the noodles allowed us to eat the leftovers for dinner the next night (with a fresh squeeze of Sriracha).

Note: I used ½ pound rock shrimp and ½ pound regular shrimp for this – I loved the texture and different sizes of shrimp in the noodles. To do this, I added the larger shrimp first, and 2-3 minutes later, I added the rock shrimp.