Which Noodles For Sesame Peanut Noodles

Our answer

The noodles used in Nigella's Sesame Peanut Noodles (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) are medium thickness egg noodles. These are the noodles most commonly used for chow mein and may be labelled as chow mein noodles, medium egg noodles or sometimes Hong Kong style noodles. Shanghai noodles and lo mein noodles are usually thicker and slightly more chewy in texture, though you could use these as a substitute if you like this style of noodle. Ramen noodles are slightly thinner but would be a good substitute if you can't find the medium egg noodles, though we would avoid the instant ramen noodles for this dish.

If you have dry noodles then you will need to cook and cool them first. Noodle types vary but most roughly double in weight when cooked, so you should allow about 250g (9 ounces) dry noodles to get 500g (1 1/4 pounds) cooked weight. Cook the noodles following the instructions on the package and drain and rise them in cold water then toss them with a teaspoon of flavourless oil to help to prevent them from sticking together. If you are using fresh noodles then check the packaging as they may only be part-cooked and may still need to be boiled briefly before using them in this dish. You may also like to try Nigella's Soba Noodles With Sesame Seeds which uses Japanese buckwheat soba noodles.