Wei Xiang Zhai was one of my first stops during my layover in Shangai. The promise of an overly thick sesame-peanut sauce on top of handmade wheat noodles was all I could dream about (as well as crab soup dumplings of course 🦀).
After arriving, most of the diners were slurping on the majiang mian (麻酱面). They also had several small dishes around the table, all of them looked delicious and can be mixed in your noodles. Be aware that this dish is extremely filling due to the thickness of the sauce, so sharing is best recommended here.
Since coming back from Shanghai, I have been dreaming to recreate these noodles. The quality of ingredients is of utter importance here, good peanut butter, toasted sesame paste and lard can make a huge difference.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame paste
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1-2 tbsp sweet aromatic soy sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lard
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp chili oil with sediments 🌶️
- 1 tsp tsuyu sauce
- 90 g Shanghai style fresh noodles
- 1 spring onion- Chopped
- 1 fresh chili (optional)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients for the peanut-sesame sauce and mix until you get a creamy consistency (all ingredients in the beginning of the list until and including water). Adjust suggested amount to your taste and desired consistency.
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions. In the meantime, add the chili oil and tsuyu sauce (or soy sauce if you don't have tsuyu at hand) to the bowls.
- Drain the cooked noodles and rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and stop the cooking process. Add the drained soba noodles to the bowl and spoon over good amount of peanut-sesame paste.
- Top the noodles with the chopped green onion and chili 🌶️, if using.
