Garlic Sesame Noodles 🍜

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Udon noodles
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
• 3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic paste, or to taste
• Handful of fresh snow peas
• 1-2 diced fresh zucchini 
• ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
• dash of black sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes; they should retain a hint of chewiness. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste.
3. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with vegetables, sesame seeds and peanuts.

Brussels Sprout and Shiitake Pot Stickers

INGREDIENTS:

Dipping Sauce

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ½-inch piece of fresh ginger (1 cm)
• 1 green onion finely sliced
•  2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Pot Stickers

• 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cups sliced Brussels sprouts, about ½ pound/227 g
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1- inch piece of fresh ginger (2.5 cm), peeled and minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 25 wonton wrappers

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the dipping sauce: Whisk the tamari, maple syrup, ginger, green onion, and sesame seeds together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the potstickers: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots. Stir and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms. Stir and sauté the mushrooms until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and ginger, and stir. Season everything with salt and pepper. Keep stirring the filling until the Brussels sprouts are bright green and slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and allow the filling to cool slightly.
3. Set out a small bowl of water. To assemble the pot stickers, divide the vegetable filling among the wonton wrappers, placing about 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Take one filled wonton wrapper and dip your finger in the bowl of water. Moisten two sides of the wrapper, fold all sides together, and pinch along the edge to form a seal. Repeat with the remaining filled wrappers.
4. Wipe the sauté pan and heat a thin slick of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the pot stickers in batches until they’re golden brown on all sides, about 1 full minute per side. Add more oil to the pan as needed to finish cooking all the pot stickers.
5. Serve the pot stickers hot with the dipping sauce on the side.