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Better-Than-Takeout Sesame Noodles With Shrimp

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

March 14, 2025

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by Emilia Aghamirzai / FatChix Inc.

March 14, 2025

We get it: Some nights, nothing sounds better than a bowl of saucy noodles. But you don't have to rely on takeout (that's likely overly salty and one-dimensional in flavor) to get your fix. Instead, you can whip up these spicy(ish) sesame noodles—with a sauce made from wholesome pantry staples and as much shrimp as you need to feel full.

Sesame noodles with shrimp

Makes about 8 cups (divvy up how you see fit)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 ml) sesame oil, plus
1 tsp to coat the noodles
4 tbsp (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) rice vinegar
3 tbsp (45 g) sesame paste (or tahini in a pinch)
3 tbsp (48 g) smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp (15 g) grated ginger
6 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp (15 g) crunchy chili garlic paste
1 tbsp (15 ml) Sriracha
¼ cup (37 g) crushed roasted peanuts
4 scallions, sliced
16 oz (448 g) whatever long noodle strikes your fancy
25–30 medium raw shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Chili flakes, for garnish

Method:

Make the sauce first; it takes 4 seconds. In a large mixing bowl, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, chili garlic paste, and Sriracha, and mix until smooth. Fold in the peanuts and scallions. Tada! The sauce is done.
Next, bring 4 quarts (3.8 L) of water to a boil and cook your noodles about a minute less than the packaging says because the packaging is generally wrong. But you can test your own noodles. When sufficiently cooked, drain, rinse, drain again, and toss with extra sesame oil to coat. This will prevent the noodles from sticking together. Add the noodles to your sauce bowl and toss to distribute the sauce evenly. Put your wrist into it. We don't want any pale and unsauced noodles. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, add the shrimp, garlic salt, paprika, and cornstarch. Toss to coat and put a large cast-iron pan on high heat. Add your olive oil, and when it starts to shimmer but not smoke, add the shrimp. Spread them out evenly so they all touch the bottom of the pan. Don't move them around. In 2 minutes, check one. And if that one has a nice golden marking or char on the bottom, you can begin to flip them all. Throw the butter in the pan, tilting to reach the sides as it melts and making sure it hits every shrimp. Turn the heat off, and let them hang out while you get a bowl.
To serve your noodles, top with your desired amount of shrimp, and garnish yourself wild with sesame seeds and chili flakes, but do not be mistaken, the only way this dish will ever be vegan is if you leave the shrimp out of it.

Reprinted with permission from Trigger Kitchen by Emma Myles. Page Street Publishing Co. 2024. Emma Myles is a writer, artist, activist, and home cook. She's best known for her role as Leanne Taylor on the hit show Orange Is the New Black, for which she won three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She lives in New York City.