“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in Shanghai for about 5 years. Shanghainese adore their noodles, and at one of my favorite hole-in-the wall noodle shops, I loved getting sesame noodles. During Covid, when we were all stuck at home, I was rummaging in the fridge and had an epiphany for a hack to make my favorite noodles: I used sesame hummus! It brought back many happy memories.”
Recipe by Holly Ong
Grew up in Singapore
Lives in Portland, OR
Profession: Co-Founder, Sibeiho, a Singaporean food startup
Leisure: Hike! Kayak! Drink Wine!
Word of the day: OMG! Thankful
Childhood cuisine: Singapore food is multi-cultural with a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Nonya culinary influences
Makes 2 generous servings and 3 moderate servings
1 pack (12 ounces) Umi Organic ramen noodles
Noodle ‘Sauce’
1 to 2 teaspoons Sibeiho AF Chili Chunka Sambal
2 tablespoons sesame hummus (Holly loves the local King Harvest)
2 tablespoons Scallion Oil (see recipe at bottom! It’s ok to substitute with sesame oil)
1 to 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (start with one and adjust to your taste)
Optional Toppings
1 carrot, shredded
1 cucumber, cut into thin strips
1/2 pack of extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes
Drained chickpeas or red kidney beans (its ok to use canned)
Garnishes
2 green scallions, cut into little rings
Toasted sesame seeds
Crispy shallots
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. While its heating up, assemble all your other ingredients.
Open the Umi Organic Noodles and toss them gently to declump the noodle strands. This is important as it needs to cook in the pot with freely flowing water. Portion them into 2 or 3 depending on your serving size.
Whisk together the noodle ‘sauce.’ Divide between your two or three bowls.
When the water has big boiling water bubbles, you can cook one portion of the noodles. Once the noodles are cooked, toss them lightly in the Noodle ‘Sauce’.
Divide optional noodle toppings and garnishes between bowls and serve!
How to Make Scallion Oil
Wash 1 bunch of scallions. Trim off the roots, cut the scallions into 2-inch lengths, and slice them vertically into threads. Keep white and green sections separate. Heat 1 cup neutral cooking oil in a pan over very low heat. Add the white part of the scallions. Cook over super low heat until they’ve wilted. Add the green part of the scallions. Continue cooking for a total of approximately 1.5 hours. The scallions will crisp up. Once the scallions turn golden brown, turn off the heat. Keep the scallions in the oil—these become part of it. Holly saves any extra scallion oil in the fridge for future noodle dishes, although this oil will taste good on anything!
Photos by Shawn Linehan.
