Pasta salad marries East and West

Pasta salads are easy to make but I rarely enjoy them. My favorites are Asian, particularly sesame noodles, which I like for their bold seasoning and when they are made with Asian pasta because I find their texture in cold dishes more appealing.

Spaghetti, fusilli and other shapes of Italian pasta do not work as well for me in cold dishes because, compared to Asian noodles, their texture is hard. Pleasing as Italian pasta is when paired with hot and hearty tomato sauce or coated with lighter cream sauces, it can come off doughy and tough when served cold.

Differences in the flour help explain this. Asian cooks use softer, more finely milled flour, while Italian pasta is made with semolina flour from hard durum wheat. In addition to its coarser texture, semolina flour is higher in gluten, the protein that gives bread and pasta their structure. The higher the gluten content, the firmer the dough a given flour will make.

Because of this higher protein content, and because Asian noodles are not readily available, I set out to create an outstanding salad using semolina pasta. This also lets you take advantage of pasta's super-affordable price.

For a pasta salad with intense flavor, I chose Sichuan seasoning. Rather than fiery dried chile peppers, I was inspired by an older way to create the heat we associate with this region. Before chiles arrived late in the 17th Century, Sichuan cooks created heat by combining ginger, garlic and Sichuan peppercorns. Known for their mouth-numbing sensation, these peppercorns are actually dried flower buds you must toast and grind. Its unique floral aroma is worth the work, but happily, using regular black pepper generously is delicious, too.

Bow-tie pasta, also called farfalle, is my first choice but linguine is also good, especially when you serve this dish with the dressing still warm.

•Something Different is written by Dana Jacobi, author of "12 Best Foods Cookbook" and contributor to AICR's "New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life."

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