Munchie Monday: Orchid's Cool Tangy Noodles UPDATE

 In the past I have passed on the recipe for Orchid's Cool Tangy Noodles which I first had many years ago while I was working at Dartmouth College in the Off Campus Programs office.  One of our professors invited my colleagues and I to a Noodle Hour at the Asian Language House where she had prepared several types of noodles.  All of them were new to me.  My favorite was Orchid's noodles.  I have made them many times since for group functions.  Usually they are very well received.

This time when I made them I made a change in the actual preparation, though not in the recipe.

In the recipe:  after cooking the noodles I put them through a strainer to drain them then returned them to the pot without pouring cool water through them.  This time I poured the sauce over the still-hot noodles and carefully tossed until the sauce was all sucked up into the noodles.  I LIKED THIS!!

The thing I liked best about this method was that sauce did not drop off the noodles into the bottom of the dish, leaving the top noodles less flavorful.  Such a good thing.  

Of course, if you want to serve these noodles cool, as title suggests you want, you will need to let the noodles come to room temperature then refrigerate.  They are perfectly delicious at room temperature or slightly warm.  Dear One ALWAYS heats his bowl in the microwave, so you can eat them any way you like!

ORCHID'S TANGY COOL NOODLES 

A tangy northern-style blend of sweet, tangy and spicy tastes 

1 pound long thin Chinese egg noodles, fresh or frozen 

3 1/2 Tablespoons Chinese or Japanese sesame oil
3 1/2 Tablespoons black soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons well-aged Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar if you cannot locate black vinegar)

2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon hot chili oil
4 heaping Tablespoons thin-cut green and white scallion rings 

Bring a generous amount of unsalted water to a full rolling boil over high heat. Add the noodles and swish them with chopsticks to separate the strands. When the noodles are cooked (2-3 minutes) pour them into a large colander in the sink and run cold water through them until cold. Let drain well and place in large clean bowl.

After cooking the noodles-fluff fresh or defrosted noodles in a colander to release any tangles. Take care not to break any. In China long noodles are a metaphor for a long life. 

Make the sauce by mixing all the other ingredients together and let sit while the noodles cook and cool. Pour over the cold noodles and stir carefully. Garnish with plenty of chopped green onion