Nothin’ is better than a good pasta salad. Warm or cold. And don’t tell me otherwise, or that you don’t eat carbs. Because while you may try not to, let’s be honest, you probably still do eat them all the time. So why not enjoy them while you indulge?
Every year for my birthday, my dinner request is the exact same thing: Chinese Cole Slaw, Warm Asian Noodle Salad, and Baked Beans. I guess you could say I am a sucker for sides. I let my mom choose what meat she wants to prepare…I am not big on entrees anyway. So this week I am going to give you the recipe for one of my favorite pasta salads—also pictured last week…Asian Noodle Salad. You can eat it warm or cold. I usually eat it warm first than cold as leftovers for practically the whole next week!
Ingredients:
1 Boneless, skinless whole chicken breast. Poached, cooled and cut into think julienne strips
5 oz. Boiled or baked ham, sliced and cut into think julienne strips
1 Bunch scallions
½ c Coarsely chopped cashews, or whole
1 lb. Thin vermicelli, angel hair, or Chinese rice sticks noodles, cooked until al dente, drained and cooled
1 ½ c Vegetable oil
2 1.2 TB Oriental Sesame oil
2 TB Sesame seeds toasted
3 TB Ground coriander seeds
¾ C Soy Sauce
1 scant tsp. Hot Chili Oil
Recipe:
Combine chicken, ham, scallions, and cashews in a large mixing bowl. Add the pasta. Heat the vegetable and sesame oils and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the sesame seeds turn light brown. Remove from heat. Stir in the coriander and soy sauce. Stir in the chili pol. Pour the hot dressing over the noodles and toss to coat evenly transfer the noodles to a serving dish—if you prefer cold, refrigerate for about 3 hours.
Makes 6-8 servings (at least)
I usually leave out the coriander and hot chili oil! You may also replace the noodles with walnuts. It’s perfect either way!