Pasta Marco Polo

Pasta Marco Polo plays on the legend of the Italian explorer bringing noodles back from China. Linguine takes the place of egg noodles, and a punchy Asian sauce of soy, hoisin, sherry, sesame oil, ginger, and chili sauce replaces Italian olive oil and herbs. The result is a 30-minute East-meets-West dinner that proves crossover cuisine can be more than gimmicky.

The sauce comes together in a bowl while the linguine cooks. Cornstarch in the sauce mix is the key to that glossy, pasta-coating consistency. When the hot stir-fried chicken and scallions meet the cold sauce in the pan, the cornstarch instantly thickens into something that grips every noodle.

Stir-frying the chicken in sesame oil before adding everything else creates the nutty backbone the dish leans on. Toss the cooked linguine in at the end and stir until every strand is coated. Serve in deep bowls with extra sliced scallions on top and pair with a ginger beer or Asian beer for a clean-cutting drink.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the linguine just shy of al dente. It will absorb some sauce in the pan and overdone pasta turns gummy.
• Slice the chicken into uniform strips so it cooks evenly in a quick stir-fry.
• Whisk the sauce ingredients thoroughly to dissolve the cornstarch and sugar before adding. Lumpy sauce stays lumpy.
• Keep the heat high while stir-frying. Low heat steams the chicken instead of searing it.

Variations

• Swap chicken for shrimp or sliced pork tenderloin for variety.
• Add 1 cup of sliced bell peppers, snow peas, or bok choy for color and crunch.
• Stir in 2 tablespoons of chunky peanut butter to the sauce for a peanut-sesame variation.