Evolution struck Darwin as a novel concept. Perhaps because, as a busy biologist, he didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. The cook knows that the recipe evolves.
Take the cold sesame noodle. During the Early Takeout Era, all restaurants licensed under the name “Moon,” “China” or “Palace” (or any combination thereof) were required to serve this dish. It was soothingly cool, mild and delicious.
Though not new. The culinary biologist, pinning a sticky noodle between slide and slip cover, took note of the specimen’s low temperature and mild character. An adaptation, he suspected, from ancient Chinese sweet to big city appetizer. Selected for by the scrimping vegetarian.
The eminent researcher Pierre Franey, in his landmark work, “The 60-minute Gourmet,” cracked the cold-noodle code. Page 303 details five simple steps that would save millions of urbanites the trouble of dialing. Poulet aux Nouilles Froides Facon de Virginia Lee.
This dish was reproduced billions of times, most of them in my kitchen. Each version an inexact copy of the last: Fatter noodles. Less oil. No sesame paste. One evening I flattened the book to its best-spattered page and noticed that every ingredient had been altered, slightly, by my own opinionated pencil. It was no longer Poulet aux Nouilles Froides Facon de Virginia Lee, but a descendant. Evolution in action.
About this time, late in the Endless Salad Era, friends started bringing over Chinese Chicken Salad. This dish grafted coleslaw’s cabbage crunch to the sesame noodle. Shockingly, it called for the raw sesame noodle-a mutation often attributed to the rise of ramen.
Evolution has its predictable arcs-success, overpopulation, collapse. Everyone loved this salad. Everyone tired of this salad. Then it showed up at McDonald’s.
But nature is cunning, and just as the Chinese Chicken Salad seemed doomed to a dusty display at the Field Museum, a new recipe emerged.
Training her reading glasses on its detail, the astute cook takes in the familiar structures: the cold noodle, crisp greens, sesame-smoothed sauce. Now tempered, via natural selection, to warm noodle, wilted greens and sesame glaze.
She admires the heroic fray Darwin called The Struggle for Life. And finds the Struggle for Salad no less compelling.
EVOLVED CHICKEN SALAD
Seves four
For dressing:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
For salad:
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 ounces flat Chinese noodles
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
5 ounces mixed salad greens or spinach
1. Whisk: In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and ginger. Set dressing aside.
2. Marinate: Slide the chicken into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in half the dressing. Set aside 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
3. Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add noodles and cook soft but still chewy, about 2-5 minutes (depending on noodle thickness). Drain (do not rinse). Toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
4. Sear: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet or grill pan set over high heat. Add chicken and cook, basting frequently with its marinade. Cook until just done, turning once, 8 minutes.
5. Toss: Gently toss greens with noodles and the remaining dressing. Greens should wilt slightly in the warmth of the noodles. Arrange on a serving platter.
6. Glaze: Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice thinly across the grain. Return slices to the hot pan, pour in any remaining marinade, using the pan lid as a shield to protect against spatter. Working quickly so the chicken does not overcook, turn slices in the marinade until glazed.
7. Serve: Arrange chicken on top of salad and drizzle with remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve at room temperature, perhaps at a picnic.
-Adapted from “Modern Asian Flavors” by Richard Wong
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LeahREskin@aol.com
