Cold Sesame Noodles with Asparagus

Asparagus is plentiful in the stores right now. I had 3 whole bunches of it in the fridge. Book club tonight, so in went 2 of the bundles into my noodly dish. I think this recipe originally came from my cousin's wife, who got it from someone else, and so on and so on. Make it your own in any way you'd like.

Cold Sesame Noodles with Asparagus:

7 Tbs sesame oil
7 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 large clove garlic
3 1/2 Tbs dark brown sugar
2 tsp sambal oelek or use chili oil if you've got it
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 bunches of asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on a diagonal
14 oz of Chinese egg noodles
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/3 cup lightly toasted sesame seeds (I used sesame Gomasio)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and while you're waiting for it to boil...
In a large bowl, combine sesame oil through cilantro and mix to dissolve sugar.

Once your water's boiling add asparagus and cook until it's bright green and still slightly crisp (about 2 minutes) .
Remove asparagus with a sieve so that you can use the water to cook the noodles.
Place asparagus in a colander and run it immediately under cold water to stop the cooking.

Once the water has come to a boil again, add noodles breaking them up (and making a big mess) with your fingers to separate them somewhat. Stir once they're in the water to further separate the noodles. Cook as per package instructions...about 5 minutes only, then drain and rinse in cold water.

Add cooked noodles, most of the asparagus, most of the onions and sesame seeds to the dressing. Toss to coat.
Mound on a platter or in a bowl and garnish with remaining, asparagus, onions, and sesame seeds.