Black sesame noodles with poached pork and cucumber
Noodles tossed in rich black sesame sauce with tender poached pork and crisp cucumber — a 20-minute lunch at home.
- 20 min
- Serves 2
- Blanch
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yin Deficiency brings a dry mouth and warm palms, and Qingming's rising yang makes flare-ups of heat more likely. Black sesame nourishes the liver and kidneys, pork nourishes yin and cucumber cools deficient heat — poached rather than fried, it's moistening yet fresh.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min- 1Toss the pork slices with a little soy sauce and the cornflour. Cut the cucumber into fine shreds.
- 2Mix the sesame paste with the remaining soy sauce, the vinegar, honey and 3 tbsp warm water until smooth.
- 3Bring a pot of water to the boil, turn to low and slip in the pork slice by slice. Poach for 1–2 minutes until just white, then lift out.
- 4Cook the noodles in the same water for 1–2 minutes, drain and toss with the sesame sauce while hot.
- 5Top with the pork and cucumber, scatter with sesame seeds and spring onion, and eat straight away.
Cautions
- Not suitable if you are allergic to sesame. If you tend to have loose stools, halve the sesame paste.
Chef's tips
- No black sesame paste? Grind toasted black sesame seeds in a spice grinder, then loosen with a little sesame oil and warm water.
The TCM view
Black sesame is sweet and neutral, nourishes the liver and kidneys, builds essence and blood and eases dry stools; pork is sweet, salty and neutral and nourishes yin; cucumber is sweet and cool and eases thirst; a dash of vinegar wakes the appetite. Sweet, moistening and slightly cool — Qingming's idea of using yin to anchor rising yang so it doesn't turn into fire.
