Some of the best foods are served in bowls: take ramen, bibimbap, and pho, for example. We love these classic and comforting noodle dishes because they can be dressed up or down depending on your mood. And with that inspiration in mind, tonight, we’ll be making a delicious black sesame noodle recipe from Bowl ($25; hmhco.com), a gorgeous new vegetarian cookbook by author and vegetarian guru Lukas Volger. “The shredded egg and wisps of radish incorporate into the noodles, the shallot brings crunch and zing, and the final drizzle of kecap manis—the Indonesian soy sauce—brings the whole bowl together in the most satisfying way,” writes Volger. Try it for yourself with the recipe below.
Black Sesame Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
2 tbsp neutral-tasting oil
5 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp wasabi powder ($6; iherb.com)
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
3 bundles (about 11½ oz) dried soban, udon, or ramen noodles
2 medium shallots, minced
1 avocado
2 large boiled eggs, firm yolks
8 small-to-medium radishes
4 cups tender greens, such as watercress, upland cress, baby arugula, or tatsoi
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Kecap manis (Indonesian soy sauce), for drizzling ($4; indofoodstore.com)
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Directions
1. Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and set over medium-low heat. Toast, swirling the pan frequently, until fragrant—90 seconds to 2 minutes. Watch and smell carefully so that they don’t burn. Transfer to a mortar and coarsely grind, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, wasabi, and salt, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a gentle boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, usually 4 to 7 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse thoroughly under cold running water, then drain again thoroughly.
3. Add the noodles and shallots to the bowl with the sauce and toss well, until the noodles are thoroughly coated. At this stage, the noodles can be transferred to an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
