Running Mama Cooks

My friend and fellow blogger, Christina from Tales From the Mad Men Kitchen posted a challenge on her blog. This challenge was to create dishes that we would traditionally order from a Chinese take out restaurant.

When I looked at the challenge from Food.com, I was torn between two of my favorites - Sesame cold noodles and chicken fried rice. So, I made both! I used different versions of both dishes, Tyler Florance's sesame noodles and my own version of chicken friend rice. Enjoy!

Cold Sesame Noodles

Adapted from Tyler Florance

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Thin spaghetti
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal oelek
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium-low flame. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Cook and stir for a minute until soft and fragrant. Mix in the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has smoothed out. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with the sesame seeds.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
1/2 lb chicken tenders, cut into small slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot
3 cups cooked brown rice
3 eggs
6 oz can chopped water chestnuts
Soy sauce to taste
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until almost tender, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken and grate in carrot. Saute until chicken is almost cooked through, about 5 mins. Add rice and stir until incorporated. Crack eggs into a seperate bowl and whisk. Stir into rice mixture and scramble. Drain water chestnuts and add to rice. Add soy sauce to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions.