Asian Noodle Salad with Grill Pork Chop

The weather here is getting hotter and hotter. It's almost 40 degrees and above everyday! Sometimes really have no appetite and mood to cook my typical 1 soup 2 dish dinner. So I have decided to cook something simple and appetizing. No more brown rice but indulge in my once a week portion noodles! 

This asian noodles salad originated from Ina Garten's Crunchy noodle salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/crunchy-noodle-salad-recipe/index.html. But I have made some changes to it because my husband does not like to eat the red peppers. And I have changed the noodles to buckwheat noodles as it is a more healthy choice for me. You can also use yellow noodles. I think they will be better cos the sauce will be able to stick on to it. You can also be creative in the vegetables you want to add in this salad. I think the cucumber is a must as it gives the whole salad a refreshing taste and a crunchy bite. I have some small portobello mushroom in my fridge for some time so I want to get rid of them and I added it into the salad. If you find it too troublesome to cook the mushrooms you can leave it out. But if you are a mushroom lover, than you must try it. Actually this salad taste a bit like 凉面. And if you like you can put it in the fridge and eat it cold. 

For the pork chop wise, I have bought those with the bones intact. For the marinate, I love this Thai BBQ marinate which I bought at the supermarket here. You can marinate with any marinates you like. Just salt and black pepper taste good too! If you don't have a grill, what I do is heat up a hot non stick pan, than sear the pork chop till it is just cooked. The pan must be hot! But you got to watch out the pork chops and make sure they are not burnt. 

The verdict for the dinner is--- my boss at home says very good. Phew!

Ingredients:

1) Noodles 

2) 1 Japanese cucumber cut into strips

3) 1 bowl of bean sprouts

4) Portobello mushrooms cut into slices (or any other mushrooms you like)

5) 4 garlic cloves, minced

6) 1 teaspoon grated ginger

7) 3 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds, divided

8) 1 cup vegetable oil

9) 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

10) 1/4 cup soy sauce

11) 1 tablespoons dark sesame oil

12) 1 tablespoon honey

13) 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (you can change it to sesame paste also)

14) 1 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally

15) 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) Heat a pan with some olive oil. Add some minced garlic. Than add in the sliced mushrooms. If you prefer your bean sprouts to be cooked you can add them in as well. Stir fry till for a while. Than add in some white wine (if you don't have that can add in any cooking wine). Once the mushrooms are slightly soften you can dish it up and set aside.

3) For the dressing, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and peanut butter in a medium bowl. You can change the portions of seasoning according to your taste. 

4) Combine the noodles, mushrooms, bean sprouts, cucumber and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the noodle mixture. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and the cilantro and toss together.

5) If you prefer your salad to be cold you can put in the fridge for a while.