I have a neighbor who makes the best cholent in New York, possibly in the Tri-State area. (Sorry, Mom!) He makes it with beer, beef cheeks, and a host of secret ingredients and the result is a stew that tastes rich, spicy and almost like it came out of a smoker. It’s amazing. This isn’t it.
I know, I know! But you see, the thing with cholent is that it’s just so heavy. No matter how it’s made, it always seems to put me straight to sleep. It’s even worse in the summer: the heat in the air combined with the heaviness and hot temperature of the traditional Shabbat dish always have me yearning for something lighter, fresher and dare I say it? Newer.
That’s where this sesame noodle salad comes in. As wonderful warm as it is cold and easily made ahead, it’s the perfect answer to the what’s-for-lunch problem. In this salad, noodles tangle together under a sweet, nutty sauce and combine with shredded grilled chicken for protein and heft. A mix of colorful vegetables add bright flavor and crunch, and the result is a summery, refreshing dish that’ll have everyone wanting seconds.
If you love sesame noodles, you’ll love these. They have that that sweet/salty thing going on, they work well with just about any vegetable you’ve got languishing in the fridge, and you can even make them vegan by subbing tofu for the chicken (so delicious!) and maple syrup for the honey. In my house, we love these noodles so much, we’ve made them for weekday lunches as well. They keep for a couple of days in in the fridge — and speaking from personal experience — a poached egg is not remiss here.
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The chicken (which is good on its own, too!) is flavorful and shreds easily, the vegetables are tender yet crunchy, and the sauce is sweet with honey, nutty with sesame oil, and punchy from the addition of a little vinegar. This is a refreshing dish that’s delicious cold, making it perfect for a summery, Shabbat day lunch.
Notes:
- All the components of this recipe can be made ahead and keep in the fridge for a few days, which allows for easy assembling the day you want to serve this.
- Variations: You can substitute soba or udon noodles for the spaghetti. Add a few thinly sliced radishes to the vegetable mixture. Use 1 pound of drained, dried and fried-until-crispy extra-firm tofu in place of the chicken and use maple syrup instead of honey (in the dressing) to make this vegan.
cholent
Pronounced: CHO-lent, Origin: Yiddish, but believed to be derived from French, a slow-cooked stew traditionally prepared for and left cooking over Shabbat.
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Shabbat
Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
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