Sweet, nutty, and a bit fiery, designed, to cool you off and make you sweat all in one bite. Cold sesame noodles, also know as Ma Jian Leung Mein, became popular in a New York City Chinatown restaurant Hwa Yuan in the 1970’s. Tang Win Fat aka “Shorty Tang” first cooked the noodles some 40 years ago in his lower east side restaurant, and the crowds went wild.
The 4’11” chef was born in Nanchang, China in 1926. During the communist take over in 1946, Tang and his family fled China for Taiwan, where Shorty worked as street vendor selling his cuisine. In 1967 Shorty came to America and settled in Queens, New York, and soon after opened a restaurant at 40 E. Broadway in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Shorty’s business closed in the 1980’s after his death, but the demand for his dish remained. Shorty’s grandson Gilley and his brother have brought the noodles back at Smorgasburg, a weekly food fest in Brooklyn, keeping the tradition alive.
- 1 lb Chinese egg noodle, linguine, or spaghetti
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoon sesame oil divided
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds black or white or a mix
- ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber
- ½ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup carrot julienned
- ½ cup fresh peas
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- chopped scallion for garnish
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Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a stock pot. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, approximately 7 minutes (taste to be sure). Reserve half a cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water, and drain again.
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In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, chili paste, cayenne powder, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and ginger. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently with a whisk until the sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Toss well to coat the pasta. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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While the pasta is cooling, toast the sesame seeds in a dry non-stick skillet until the seeds just begin to brown and give off a nutty aroma (shake the pan frequently to avoid burning the seeds). Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside.
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When the pasta is cold toss in the cucumber, pepper, carrot, peas, cilantro and sesame seeds. Add the sauce to the noodles (If needed thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water). Toss well to combine. Garnish with scallions.
This dish is inspired by Shorty Tang's recipe. The original does not call for any vegetables other than chopped scallion.
