SERVES 4 TO 6 AS A MAIN COURSE, 8 TO 10 AS PART OF A MULTICOURSE MEAL
I am a sucker for the flavor of tomato and ginger in combination, so as soon as we have truly summer-ripe tomatoes, I rush to put this dish on the menu. It has become a warm-weather favorite, and I emphatically recommend it.
The sauce is also a yummy topping for fish, meat, pasta, or poultry. It will hold in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Wok-searing or pan-searing the tomatoes over the highest possible heat will imbue the sauce with an inimitable smokiness. Do not fear allowing the oil to smoke, for that is exactly the flavor edge you want.
SAUCE:
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1½ teaspoons corn or peanut oil
¾ pound fragrant, ripe plum tomatoes, tipped and cut lengthwise into fourths
⅓ cup juice from China Moon Pickled Ginger (page 8)
1½ teaspoons China Moon Hot Chili Oil (page 10)
1½ teaspoons “goop” from China Moon Hot Chili Oil
2½ tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ pound fresh bean sprouts
1 pound very thin (1/16 inch) fresh Chinese egg noodles
¼ cup minced China Moon Pickled Ginger
¾ cup thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
¼ cup coarsely chopped coriander stems and leaves
Coriander sprigs, for garnish
1. To make the sauce, combine the sun-dried tomatoes with ¼ cup boiling water. Cover and set aside for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain, reserving the soaking water. (If using oil-steeped tomatoes, simply drain the oil; do not soak.)
2. Heat a wok or large, heavy non-aluminum skillet over high heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact. Add the corn oil, swirl to glaze the pan, and heat until smoking. Add the tomato wedges and toss until soft and hot, about 1 minute. Do not worry if they brown in spots; the searing gives the flavor.
3. In a food processor, combine the seared tomatoes and any juices, the sun-dried tomatoes, the reserved soaking water, and all of the remaining sauce ingredients through the salt. Process until nearly smooth. Don’t worry if chunks or skins remain; this looks great on the finished dish. Taste; if you desire a spicier sauce, add a dash more chili oil or “goop.”
4. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water to cover for 15 seconds. Plunge into ice water until chilled. Cover with cold water and refrigerate until ready to use. Drain well just before using.
5. Fluff the noodles in a colander to separate and untangle the strands. Bring a generous amount of unsalted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the noodles and swish gently with chopsticks until the noodles are al dente but cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain promptly, plunge into ample ice water to chill, then drain thoroughly. Put the noodles in a large tub or bowl.
6. Sauce the noodles with 1½ cups of the sauce. Toss well with your fingers. Let sit for 10 minutes. Taste and add more sauce if you like; the noodles should be flavorful but not soupy. At this point, the noodles may be sealed and refrigerated for up to a day. Bring nearly to room temperature before serving, and check if the noodles have absorbed the sauce and a touch more is needed.
7. Just before serving, add the bean sprouts, ginger, scallions, and coriander, tossing lightly to mix.
8. To serve, mound on a platter or twirl into individual bowls of contrasting color. Garnish with the coriander sprigs and serve at once.
To keep the sauce from overwhelming the bright colors and tastes of the vegetables in cold noodle dishes, first dress the noodles, then let them sit a bit to absorb the dressing. Only after that is done should you toss the noodles with the vegetables.
When tossing cold noodles with a thin sauce, use a shallow tub instead of a bowl, so that the noodles can be spread out. Especially if you are multiplying the recipe, it is important to give the noodles a lot of room so they don’t sit in a dry heap on top, pressing out a puddle of sauce below.
The tubs I use are plastic rectangles that measure about 12 inches by 24 inches and are about 6 inches deep. Called “bus tubs” because they are commonly used to bus dirty dishes and glassware from the dining room to the dishwashing station, they are fixtures in most restaurant kitchens. We use them for noodle-tossing and a thousand and one other things, and I cannot recommend them more if you are someone who likes to cook for a crowd and is always needing the requisite big tub for marinating, storing, or tossing! They most often come in grim colors like gray and black, but a restaurant supply shop in Chinatown will almost always have them in red, symbolizing good fortune for you and your noodles.
MENU SUGGESTIONS: As part of an antipasto plate, these noodles team beautifully with any of our wok-seared meats—Wok-Seared Beef Tenderloin (page 253), Peppered Loin of Lamb (page 274), or Brined Loin of Pork with Pasilla Pepper Sauce (page 310)—and a green salad. They would also be a wonderful companion to a platter of Skewered Baked Shrimp (page 212) or Gold Coin Salmon Cakes (page 188).
