Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Cold Sesame Noodles
466 kcal a serving, against 700 for the traditional version. That is 234 kcal off, or 33%, with 35.5g of protein. Serves 4. 25 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A mountain of cold wheat noodles smothered in an incredibly rich, thick sauce. That sauce relies heavily on pure sesame paste and toasted sesame oil, sweetened with sugar and sharpened slightly with soy sauce. It is famously heavy, sticky and intensely savoury.
What changed, and what each change costs
120g of sesame paste and 40g of sesame oil for 40g of sesame paste thinned with chicken stock
Sesame paste is the whole point of the dish, but it brings an astronomical amount of fat. Thinning a smaller scoop with chicken stock extends the nutty flavour across the whole bowl without the heavy oil slick.
What it costs you. The sauce loses its thick, mortar-like grip. A slippery dressing that pools slightly at the bottom of the bowl, then. Not a rich sludge anymore, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
400g of egg noodles for 250g of noodles and 400g of poached chicken breast
Stripping the fat from the dressing leaves a massive hole in the dish. Dropping the noodle volume and adding lean chicken breast builds the meal back up, keeping you full through sheer meat rather than dense starch.
What it costs you. It stops being a pure noodle dish. You're eating a chicken and noodle salad. The purists will absolutely hate it.
A tiny garnish of cucumber for 300g of shredded cucumber
Cucumber adds essential crunch and water to a traditionally heavy plate. Tripling the volume provides bulk and breaks up the richness of the sesame paste.
What it costs you. Cucumber waters down the dressing as it sits. You'll need to eat this quickly once tossed.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 700 | 466 |
| Protein | 21.2g | 35.5g |
| Fat | 30.5g | 11.4g |
| Saturated fat | 4.9g | 2.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 89g | 55.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3g | 7.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, gluten, milk, sesame, soybeans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This is the first time I actually prefer the altered version to the original takeaway classic. The shredded chicken soaks up the sharp, nutty dressing brilliantly, and the mountain of cucumber keeps everything fresh. Yes, the sauce is thinner. Yes, you have to mix it thoroughly before every bite to catch the drips. But you get a vast plate of food that hits the exact same flavour notes, and you avoid the inevitable afternoon slump.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback