Simple Sesame Noodles

Oh, how I LOVE this recipe! Following other reviews, I add minced fresh ginger & chopped cilantro, and I reduce the oil to 4 T. and sugar to 3 T. I use only 1 1/2 t. chili sauce because I'm wimpy that way! Thicken the sauce with 1 t. cornstarch mixed into 1 c. chicken broth, and stir in 1 T. toasted sesame oil at the end, off heat. Optional add-ins make it even better: shredded napa cabbage, red bell pepper strips, blanched & sliced snowpeas, and/or cooked & cubed chicken. Absolutely delicious!!  -  08 Mar 2008  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

I made this today to go with Michelle's Roast Chicken. I needed something in the same taste-vein. I subbed vegetable oil for the safflower oil, because I didn't have it. I also didn't use chili sauce because my kids have to be able to eat it. They don't like spicy food. Very tasty. I served it as a cold side, as it's pretty warm here lately. Refreshing and light. My husband fell in love with it, and he can be a little picky. I had to restrain him from eating the whole bowl. I will make this again for sure. EDITED: Now that I'm cooking to reflect a low-sodium/low-fat/low-sugar lifestyle, I now make it like this.... I'll cut the noodles in half and used a little over 1/2 bag of shredded coleslaw mix in place of the missing noodles. I now use EVOO instead of safflower oil, honey or Splenda brown sugar blend instead of sugar, low sodium soy sauce and after I toss the sauce with the noodles and coleslaw, I chill it. Right before serving, I sprinkle the servings with a little chopped, roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews. I've made this for four years now and I've got to say that this is one of our most favorite recipes from AllRecipes.  -  26 Jun 2008  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

Since the temperature is already hitting triple digits here in Las Vegas, I decided to serve this cold as a salad. I made the sauce as written except I added a little crushed ginger from a jar from Trader Joe's. I had 2 different kinds of chile garlic sauce; 1 Chinese and 1 Vietnamese, so I said what the heck and put in a tsp of each. I used Chinese Yung Chung noodles instead of linguine; and to make it more like a salad, I added a chopped, seeded cucumber, some edamame and some cilantro. This came out delicious!......Since I wrote this original review back in 2007, I've become more health conscious and now when I make this, I omit the vegetable oil completely, use Splenda instead of sugar, and not so much of it, bump up the dark sesame oil by a couple teaspoons, increase the chili garlic sauce and use whole wheat noodles. The dish is still delicious, but as DH said, it tastes fresher and lighter.  -  04 Jun 2007  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)