NYT Cooking - Cold noodles with zucchini
(The recipe is a little futsy, but you can bring it back down to simple and simply delicious. And who doesn't need a new recipe to use up the ever abundant zucchini?)
Zucchini loves the kiss of heat but can easily turn to mush. Briefly salting and drying half-moons of zucchini before quickly stir-frying them, mostly on one side, maintains their texture while lending so much flavor. An impactful dressing of maple syrup, soy sauce and fish sauce — plus a pinch of concentrated savoriness in the form of garlic powder — seasons both stir-fry and noodle. Ice is the secret ingredient that helps to cool down the noodles for quick eating, as well as to melt down and open up the flavors of the dressing (as water is wont to do) while you eat. The final spritz of citrus is not optional: It finishes the dressing and makes this chill meal taste multidimensional. A tableside sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, furikake or shichimi togarashi is welcome.
Ingredients
Yield:1 serving
1 large zucchini (about 8 ounces)
Coarse kosher salt or fine sea salt
3 to 4 ounces dried ramen, somen or capellini (BM: any noodle, really)
2 teaspoons maple syrup, plus more to taste
1½ teaspoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon avocado, grapeseed or canola oil
½ cup cubed ice
Lemon or lime wedges and thinly sliced scallions, for serving
Preparation
Step 1 Trim off the tips of the zucchini, then halve lengthwise and slice into ⅓-inch half moons. Directly on the cutting board, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, toss to combine and let sit for at least 10 minutes (and up to 30 minutes) to draw out excess moisture.
Step 2 Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain, then rinse under cold water until cool to touch. Transfer to an individual serving bowl.
Step 3 In a medium bowl, stir together the maple syrup, soy sauce, fish sauce and garlic powder; set aside.
Step 4 Pat the zucchini dry. Heat a large skillet over high, then add the oil. When you see a wisp of smoke, carefully arrange the zucchini in an even layer in the skillet and season with salt. Cook undisturbed until the zucchini is browned on one side, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip the pieces and cook until tender-crisp, about 1 minute.
Step 5 Transfer the zucchini to the bowl with the sauce. Add the ice, then quickly toss a few times until the zucchini is cool. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed. (The dressing should taste boldly salty at this stage, as the melting ice, and later the noodles, will dilute it.)
Step 6 To eat, pour the zucchini and its dressing over the noodles. Spritz with citrus, top with scallions and eat immediately. (As you eat, you can add more maple syrup, soy sauce or fish sauce, if you’d like.)
Reader Suggestions: Beat the heat suggestions: Cook the ramen in the early morning, cool and toss with a little sesame oil, then refrigerate. Remove it when you get home so it can come to room temp. Slice or grate the zucchini and put it on top of the noodles. Add the sauce and stir. Zucchini is fine raw, but if you really want to cook it, briefly heat the sauce and pour it over the noodles and squash. No boiling water, no standing over a hot skillet.
My suggestion: Bag the NYT dressing for a simple sesame dressing. It's more versatile, I think.
From Recipe Tin Eats
https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-sesame-dressing/#recipe
A fantastic standby dressing to have on hand because it keeps for 3 weeks! Use this Asian dressing for leafy green salads, Asian slaws, noodle salads and chopped salads. It’s also a terrific dressing to make steamed vegetables so much tastier. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh sesame seeds and sliced greens onions!
Big batch to keep (makes 1 cup)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup white vinegar (adjust to taste for sharpness)
1/4 cup olive oil (Note 1)
1 tbsp sugar (any type) or 1 1/2 tbsp honey
Single serving batch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar (any type) or 1 1/2 tsp honey
Instructions
Place ingredients in a jar and shake well until sugar is dissolved. Adjust saltiness with salt and sweetness with sugar to taste.
Keep for up to 3 weeks, in the fridge (to be safe). Bring to room temp and shake well before use.
Single serving batch is enough for 3 – 4 cups of shredded cabbage / leafy greens i.e. a side salad for 4 people.
Big batch – my rule of thumb for how much dressing to use is generally 1 tbsp of dressing per 1 packed cup of shredded vegetables and 2 tsp per handful of leafy greens.
Recipe Notes:
I realize that olive oil is not Asian but actually, many modern Asian restaurant recipes use olive oil in sauces and cooking. I think olive oil is lovely in this dressing. You can even use extra virgin olive oil so you can taste it slightly more. Or otherwise, use any neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil.
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