Sesame Orange Udon

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the udon noodles. Trim 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus and chop stalks into 2 inch pieces. Peel and mince the ginger. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Thinly slice Thai chile(s) into rounds. Roughly chop cashews. Zest the orange(s), juice one half (1 orange) and divide the other half (1 orange) into wedges. Destem curly kale and roughly chop the leaves.

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the sesame seeds. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer toasted sesame seeds to a medium bowl and add turbinado sugar, sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, and 2 tbsp (4 tbsp) orange juice. Whisk to combine.

Return the large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat with 2 tsp (4 tsp) vegetable oil. Add minced ginger, sliced garlic, and sliced Thai chile. Cook until lightly toasted and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the udon noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chopped asparagus, chopped cashews, and a pinch of salt to the ginger, garlic, and Thai chile. Cook until asparagus is bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain the udon noodles and immediately add to the asparagus along with the chopped curly kale and the sesame orange sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and cook sesame orange udon until the sauce thickens and sugar dissolves. Add orange zest. Taste, and add salt as necessary.

Divide the sesame orange udon with asparagus and gingered cashews between large bowls and serve with orange wedges. Enjoy!