Sesame Noodles

Preparing and eating these decadently delicious noodles for the first time was something epic. How can something have such a rich and fulfilling flavour, a smooth texture, be 100% vegan, and be ready in no more than 5 minutes? Yes, you heard me right: from the moment you enter your kitchen, this dish will be on your plate in five minutes – provided you (or rather your stove) get that water boiling fast!

Furthermore, sesame noodles are tasty without being spicy at all, so kids love them as well.

There are a lot of different recipes out there for sesame noodles, and my starting point was New York – les recettes culte, although I’ve modified it a bit.

For 3-4 portions you need:

• 250g noodles (I use the ones made with wheat, and without egg)


• 50g tahini paste


• 50g peanut butter


• 50g sesame oil


• 4 Tbsp rice vinegar


• 3 Tbsp sugar


• 2 Tbsp soy sauce


• 18g fresh ginger, peeled


• 12g garlic, peeled


• 100ml water

.. and fresh cucumber, coriander leaves, and sesame seeds to serve

This is how you proceed:

1. Bring 3 liters of water to the boil. Add a bit of salt, then the noodles, cover, and take away from the heat. Let stand about 3 minutes.

2. In the meantime (yes!), prepare the sauce. Measure all ingredients in a bowl, and pulse with a hand mixer into a smooth paste.

3. Transfer the noodles in a colander, wash with cold water, drain, and place into a serving bowl. Add the sauce and stir.

4. Decorate with sliced cucumber, fresh coriander and sesame seeds.

5. Serve with a cold drink!

I prefer to eat this dish a bit warm, not cold as suggested in the original recipe. At what temperature do they taste the best to you? Well, I guess you’ll have to make them a couple of times to find out…!
 

Hummus, or When the Chickpea Died and Went to Heaven

I had cooked too much chickpeas for my tagine (see my previous post) and was wondering what to do with them when I saw this recipe for hummus, a delicious spread made of cooked chickpeas, tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. The recipe comes from my newest cookbook, called Jerusalem and written by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. A very recommendable book with interesting stories, great pictures - and foolproof recipes, at least so far!

I wanted to make a smaller portion, so the quantities are not exactly the same in the “Jerusalem” version of the recipe.

You need:

• 300g cooked chickpeas


• 150g tahini paste


• 1 big garlic clove or 2 smaller ones


• 2 Tbsp lemon juice


• salt to taste


• about 50ml water (I used the cooking water from the chickpeas)

Place all ingredients apart from water in a food processor bowl. Pulse until smooth, and then add enough water to form a creamy paste. Place your hummus in a serving bowl and cover. Let stand in room temperature about 30 minutes before serving. If anything is left over, store in the fridge.

I decorated my hummus with black olives, slices of red pepper, lemon, and some parsley, and served it with fresh white bread as a starter. Yum!

P.S. In my opinion, hummus is at its best the day you make it!