Chinese Cold Sesame Noodles

I am not sure how Chinese these noodles are but they serve them at every hole in the wall Chinese take-away place in New York city. 

These should be eaten from a paper cartoon, in your pajamas, with your best friend, watching TV or perhaps having a good gossip.  Shoebox-sized, cockroach infested apartment, optional.

½ pound (250 grams) dried egg noodles

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 cucumbers, peeled, and cut into fine strips

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine strips

A few cabbage leaves, cut into fine strips

2 scallions, trimmed and minced

¼ cup minced cilantro

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 1/2 cup chicken broth 
(or water with one chicken bouillon cube)

2 teaspoon soysauce

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet your peanut butter is

Black pepper to taste

Red chili flakes, to taste

Boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water until tender. Drain, and fill the pot of noodles with cold water, and then drain again.  Toss the noodles with sesame oil.  Cover and put in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine the tahini, peanut butter, rice vinegar,
 chicken broth, sugar, black pepper and red chili flakes.  Whisk until smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  You can add a teaspoon more soy sauce if it needs more salt.

Add the cold noodles and toss until well coated.  Add the cucumbers, carrot, scallions, cabbage and cilantro.  Toss well and serve cold.

If you are planning to make this ahead of time, toss the noodles with a quarter of the sauce, so that it can soak in and flavor the noodles.  Save the rest of the sauce and the vegetables and toss together right before serving.  If you toss it all together, then the noodles will soak up much of the sauce and the dish will be a bit dry.