Jean-Georges's Sesame Noodles

By Jonathan Reynolds

Published January 4, 2003

Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(26)
Comments
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Featured in: FOOD; A New China Pattern

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE BROTH

  • ½ cup soy sauce

  • ¼ cup black vinegar

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar

  • ¼ cup shao shing wine

  • ½ cup sugar

  • 1 ounce fresh cilantro

  • ½ hot red chili

  • 1 cinnamon stick, crushed

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

FOR THE SESAME-PEANUT PASTE

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon puréed fresh ginger root

  • ½ teaspoon puréed garlic

  • 1 Thai chili, broken into small pieces

  • ¾ cup toasted peanuts, chopped

  • ¾ cup toasted sesame seeds

  • Dark sesame oil

  • Peanut oil

  • Salt to taste

  • Cayenne pepper to taste

  • 5 ounces bean-paste

  • vermicelli noodles

FOR THE CRYSTALLIZED WASABI

  • 9 tablespoons sugar

  • 4 tablespoons wasabi powder

FOR THE GARNISH

  • Slivered apples, cucumbers, scallions and fresh bean sprouts

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the broth, boil the soy sauce, vinegars, wine and sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add the remaining ingredients and steep, covered, 45 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    To make the paste, sauté the sugar, ginger, garlic and chili until it is coated with melted sugar and caramelized. Reserve 2 tablespoons each peanuts and sesame seeds for garnish and blend the remainder in a food processor with the ginger mixture, adding the oils to make a paste. Season with salt and cayenne.

  3. Step 3

    Cover the noodles with 1 quart boiling water and stir until loosened. Set aside until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.

  4. Step 4

    To make the crystallized wasabi, mix the sugar and wasabi powder thoroughly, then add 5 to 6 teaspoons cold water until ''pebbles'' form.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, spoon ¼ cup broth into each of 4 shallow serving bowls. Add ⅛ of the noodles, the paste and the garnishes, including the peanuts and seeds, then Repeat. Crumble wasabi pebbles around the noodles in the broth.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
26 user ratings
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Comments

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jcbex

The flavors are exciting. How such simple ingredients produce a rich broth was surprising. My wasabi was too pastey, making it hard to distribute around the thin delicate bean thread vermicelli but the flavor was exciting. I think we’ll try a thicker noodle next time. But we all enjoyed it immensely and really, it takes very little time. Just do the stock, wasabi paste in advance.

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