Sesame noodles with charred broccoli & chilli oil

April 13, 2024 

   

Cindy stumbled onto a packet of fresh wide noodles at our local Korean grocer and had us scanning through To Asia with Love to find a way to use them. In the end we couldn't resist this pretty basic option: sesame rice noodles with charred broccoli. Hetty's version leans heavily on a serve of her excellent 'everything oil', but we made do with a store bought alternative. The use of tahini as the bulk of the noodle sauce feels a bit unusual, but it just gives things a really rich sesame flavour, which the chilli cuts through perfectly. Without the spice hit, this is a bit plain, so it's really one for the chilli heads.

Sesame noodles with charred broccoli & chilli oil

(slightly adapted from a recipe in Hetty Lui McKinnon's To Asia with Love,

which has already appeared online at Unpeeled Journal)

300g thick noodles

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 cup tahini

1 garlic clove, crushed

750g broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 tablespoons of chilli oil (to taste)

salt and pepper

olive oil

fried shallots, to garnish (optional)

Cook the noodles as per packet instructions - about 6 or 7 minutes in boiling water for ours. Drain and rinse with cold water a few times to refresh and stop them clumping - toss the sesame oil through to coat them.

Whisk the tahini, garlic and 1/2 cup of water together until it's a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a cast iron pan over high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Cook the broccoli florets in batches, generously seasoned with salt and pepper. You want them to get charred and tender - about 5-10 minutes per batch, turning regularly. 

Combine all the ingredients (noodles, tahini sauce, broccoli) in a big bowl and toss with more salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve in small bowls, topped with chilli oil and some crunchy fried shallots if you've got them.