Peanut Noodles
This is a quick, weeknight meal that is a crowd pleaser. I love the creamy, salty, sweet sauce, paired with slightly chewy noodles and the raw vegetables to add texture and a freshness to this pantry dish. The noodles are delicious warm or cold the next day. We used ramen noodles for this dish, but traditionally it is used with wonton noodles, but I think you can use whatever you prefer. I would try a thicker soba noodle next time.
Tips:
Julienne any veggie you have on hand to add texture and crunch to the is dish. Think red peppers, pea pods, radish, jicama, etc.
Add some leftover chicken, shrimp or beef to this dish to add some more protein. If you want to keep it vegetarian, a firm tofu would be great too.
If you don’t have oyster sauce, you can use Hoisin sauce or more soy sauce and increase the sugar, since oyster sauce is sweet.
Peanut Noodles
Serves 4-6
PREP 5 minutes
COOK 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil
Brown sugar, to taste
1 lb. Ramen noodles
Julienne some veggies- I used cucumbers and carrots, about 1 cup total
Thinly sliced scallions, chopped peanuts, red pepper flakes and/or sesame seeds, optional for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the noodles according to recipe on the packaging. Some you boil, others you just soak in hot water, so look ahead. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water to thin out sauce.
Prepare the sauce in a large bowl by combining the peanut butter, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar, according to taste. Set aside until noodles are ready.
Add the hot noodles and the cup of saved pasta water to the sauce and toss to coat the noodles with the peanut sauce.
If serving family style you can toss the raw veggies into the serving bowl and combine or plate each bowl, piling your toppings on top.