One Dish Meal: Cold Tossed Noodles

I improvised this recipe while I was studying in Japan. The Japanese are known to like noodles as much as the Chinese do. But at that time, I was not accustomed to the texture of authentic Japanese soba noodles so I thought why not substitute it with noodles of my choice.

Cold Tossed Noodles (Serves 6):

1 pound of egg noodles or spaghetti

11/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded

1 large cucumber, peeled and julienned

Plunge the noodles in a large pan of boiling water. Boil for a few minutes until done and not soggy. Drain and then plunge into cold water to wash away the starch. If you skip this step, the noodles will not be springy in texture.

Drain, separate the strands and sprinkle with vegetable to keep them from sticking together. Refrigerate for several hours until cold.

Now for the Sauce:

6 slices ginger

4 teaspoons of sugar

2 tablespoon of soy sauce

3 tablespoon of water

2 tablespoon of sesame paste or unsweetened peanut butter

11/2 tablespoon of sesame oil

11/2 tablespoon of white vinegar

Cut the ginger slices into matchstick strips. Rub with sesame oil, leave to season for 30 minutes.

Heat soy sauce, sugar and water. Stir once or twice as soon as you see that it starts to boil. Remove from heat. Mix the sesame oil with the sesame paste. When the soy sauce and sugar mixture has cooled, add it to the sesame oil and paste. Blend well.

Spread the noodles on a large plate. Sprinkle them evenly with vinegar and shredded ginger. Arrange the cucumber julienne strips all around the sides, pour the sauce in the centre.

Decorate the top of the noodles with shredded chicken pieces.Toss and mix well with the sauce.

This dish is healthy and lightly; perfect for dieters who want something substantial yet low in calories.