Spice Things Up With This Chengdu Noodle Recipe

Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in China, is home to such famous dishes as dragon claw dumplings and mapo tofu. If you’d like to sample the region’s cuisine without traveling far, try making this Chendgu noodle recipe from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) at home.

Depending on where you live, you may have trouble tracking down a few of the ingredients. According to Leif Evans, chef-instructor of culinary arts at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus, you can swap the dark Chinese soy sauce for regular soy sauce and the black rice vinegar for regular rice vinegar. You can also leave out the mung bean sprouts if you prefer—skipping that ingredient won’t change the dish’s flavor profile drastically.

To make the Chengdu noodles, start by adding the bean sprouts to a metal strainer and blanching them in a pot of boiling water for five seconds. Once they’re done, rinse them under cold water and drain them. Set the beans aside while you cook the noodles. 

Boil the egg noodles for about three to five minutes and then rinse them under cold water. This step stops them from cooking and removes excess starch “so they don't start sticking together like crazy,” chef Leif tells Mental Floss. Next, toss the noodles with the sesame and chili oil. Puree the dressing ingredients together in a blender, and then add the mixture and the sliced scallions to the noodles. Stir it all together before serving.

The Institute of Culinary Education offers award-winning career training programs in the culinary arts, pastry and baking arts, artisan bread baking, and more. Students can explore the culinary world at its campuses in Los Angeles and New York. Learn more about ICE on its website.

Chengdu Noodles

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the noodles:
9 oz mung bean sprouts
24 oz egg noodles
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp chili oil
6 scallions, sliced thinly on a bias

For the dressing:
¼ cup minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp canola oil
½ cup dark Chinese soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp black rice vinegar

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the mung sprouts in a strainer and lower them into the water for five seconds. Rinse under cold water and drain.
2. Add the egg noodles to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain and then rinse the noodles under cold water and toss with the sesame and chili oils. 
4. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and puree to combine.
5. Toss the noodles with dressing and scallions.

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