Spicy Sesame Noodles (Ma Jiang Mian)

Step 1

First, Whisk the Flour and Salt together in a large bowl. Add the Oil to the center of the bowl, and use chopsticks to mix well.

Step 2

Slowly add the water to the Flour mixture a little at a time, using the chopsticks to mix everything together. Once you can no longer mix the dough with the chopsticks, use your hands to knead the dough and form a ball. It may look slightly lumpy, but that’s okay!

Step 3

Return the dough ball to the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel; let rest for 20 minutes. The dough will not rise, but will become more elastic and easier to work with.

Step 4

Divide the dough into 2-4 portions, to make it easier to work with. Flour your surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin sheet (about 1 cm or ⅓” thick). Dust the sheet with more flour, flip it, then dust it again.

Step 5

Re-flour your surface (notice a theme here?), then fold the dough sheet into 3-4 layers. Cut the dough into thin strips (~1/3″) to create noodles, unfolding the dough to reveal the noodle. Let the noodles rest for another 15 minutes before gently “pulling” the noodles (by holding the ends and “bouncing” them on your floured surface) to stretch them out. This step is optional, but fun!

Step 6

Dust the noodles with even more flour to prevent sticking, then bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles for 3-5 minutes, until tender. You may have to do this in batches, depending on how large your pot is. Serve the noodles immediately – they’re best when hot!

Step 7

Add all of the ingredients except for the hot water to a medium bowl and mix well. Slowly whisk the Hot Water into the sauce, then taste and add any extra ingredients according to your personal preference. Refrigerate any Sauce leftovers for up to one week.

Step 8

Cook your desired Noodles according to the package instructions, if you are not making them from scratch.

Step 9

Add the Noodles to a bowl, then toss them with the Sesame Sauce. Top with Cucumber, Green Onion, Cilantro, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Chopped Peanuts, and a hefty drizzle of Chili Oil to finish things off! Serve warm and enjoy.