A spring take on one of my favorite dishes, these are my sesame noodles with asparagus and mushrooms. Layered into this dish lies charred asparagus, mushrooms, ground chicken, and of course, the star of the show, this incredible homemade sauce. Also known as dan dan noodles, these sesame noodles are flavored with chili oil, tahini, soy sauce, and honey.
Not only is this dish well balanced, but it also comes together in under 30 minutes and is made with just a handful of ingredients. Feel free to check out my pantry essentials to keep some of these asian condiments in the homemade sauce stocked at all times.
VIDEO TUTORIAL:
Sesame Noodles with Asparagus and Mushrooms
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
A spring take on one of my favorite dishes, sesame noodles. Layered into this dish are asparagus, mushrooms, ground chicken, and sesame sauce.
Ingredients
For the Bowl
- 8 ounces of dan dan noodles (can substitute any asian noodle – in this photo, I’m using dragon fruit noodles)
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 3 ounces of brown button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut on a bias
- 1/3 cup chicken stock (optional)
- neutral oil
- sesame oil, for the noodles
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons chili oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot up to a boil. As the water is coming up to a boil, prepare the vegetables – slice the asparagus and mushrooms, mince the garlic, and chop the scallions.
- Drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. The brand of noodles I use only cook for about 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, strain the noodles and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Washing the noodles is important for Chinese noodles, as you want to eliminate the excess starch. Toss with a tablespoon of sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Prep the sauce by combining all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl or mason jar and whisk until combined. Set aside. If the tahini you’re using is a bit chunky, continue whisking until it’s blended into the sauce (sometimes I will microwave the sauce for 20-30 seconds if the hot water isn’t working well enough to help dissolve the tahini).
- Heat a medium or large pan on medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of neutral oil and the sliced asparagus. Char for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once slightly charred, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of neutral oil, then add the sliced mushrooms. Let this caramelize and brown, stirring occasionally. After the mushrooms are almost finished browning, about 4-5 minutes in, salt them then move them to one side of the pan (you can also cook the mushrooms all the way the remove from the pan) and add the ground chicken. Season the chicken with a heavy pinch of salt, black ground pepper, and continue to brown and break apart the ground chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the minced garlic, sliced scallions, and another pinch of salt. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on medium high heat, or until the ground chicken is no longer pink. Stir together with the mushrooms, then add 1/2 of the sauce mixture to this and the 1/3 cup of chicken stock. Reserve the remaining sauce for assembling the bowl.
- Assemble the bowls by placing a handful of noodles at the bottom of a bowl. Top with a drizzle of the sauce, a few spoonfuls of the mushroom and ground chicken mixture, and the charred asparagus. Serve immediately and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Quick and Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
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