Tastebuds Rejoice

My tastebuds are celebrating. I am branching out from my everyday meals and trying to incorporate at least one new and different recipe each week. This week I tried Cold Chinese Noodle Salad. I really enjoyed the Asian flavors and the cool salad was a refreshing change for the spring season.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

12 oz. Chinese wheat noodles

3 T. Chinese roasted sesame paste

3 1/2 T. dark sesame oil

6 T. soy sauce

1 T. brown sugar

1 - 2 T. rice vinegar, or to taste

2 1/2 T. mirin (sweet rice wine)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. chili oil, or to taste

1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced

2 green onions, julienned

Cook your noodles in a pot of salted boiling water, then plunge in ice water to stop cooking. Rinse and drain noodles well. Toss lightly with 1 1/2 T. of the sesame oil. Cover and chill until ready to use.

I cooked my chicken in the skillet; the recipe says to boil it...Either way, when it is done, shred it and cover and chill until ready to use.

To make the sauce, place sesame paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, mirin, remaining sesame oil, garlic, chili oil and salt to taste in a blender. Process until you have a paste, then add enough water to achieve the consistency of a salad dressing.
To serve, toss the chicken and cucumbers with half the sauce. Place over noodles and drizzle the rest of the sauce. Add green onions and toss.