Summer, Wrapping Up

This recipe was inspired by persistently hot temperatures, boredom, hunger and a post over on Orangette about Brandon’s soba noodles. I made the sauce to see if it was something I’d like, since I’m a little suspicious about peanut sauces much of the time (too peanutty—I know, I’m weird). This one looked safe, given how acid it promised to be and the simple fact that it had sriracha in it. I ditched the chili-garlic sauce right away, as that stuff is far too hot for my tastes, even in small quantities. A little (ok, a LOT) of tweaking over last weekend and I’m happy to say I’ve got a version that is very close to the kind I used to order all the time when I lived in New York and have bought from the Giant deli too many times to coung. This version is far cheaper to make and easier to modify to my tastes or supplies that day. I ate this warm the first time I made it, as I was hungry and didn’t feel like waiting for it to cool off, but it’s meant to be eaten cold and is quite good anywhere in between. It’s definitely one of those dishes that doesn’t suffer from being in the fridge for a few days. Added benefits: it’s vegetarian, easy to throw together (the longest part of prep is cutting up whatever veggies you want) and could possibly get away with being vegan if you use soba or dig up some brown rice spaghetti or linguini to make it with. Even easier bonus: The peanut sauce recipe could easily be doubled, leaving you with plenty of leftover sauce to use for the Thai Chicken Wraps that are posted over on Simply.Live (they sound wonderful, and just as easy to throw together as these noodles, if not more so) and even as a dipping sauce for plain old chunks of grilled chicken.



(Almost) Sesame Cold Noodles

Sauce:

-½ cup creamy peanut butter-1 Tbsp. soy sauce
-1 Tbsp sweet soy (or use another ½ Tbsp soy sauce and ½ Tbsp brown sugar)-1/2 tsp. pressed garlic (about 1 small clove) or ¼ tsp garlic powder-½ cup fresh lime juice-½-1 tsp. sriracha or a similar hot sauce, or more to taste-2 tsp. olive oil-1 tsp. water

For the noodles:

-½ to ¾ lb. soba noodles OR 1 lb lo mein noodles OR ¾ to 1 lb linguini
-2-3 large handfuls of bean sprouts
-1 cup julienned snow peas
-3 scallions, cut into inch long strips
-1 red or green pepper, julienned
-1 medium carrot, julienned
-1-2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
-1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
-Fresh cilantro or basil leaves, for serving (optional, but nice)

Directions:

First, make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk to blend well. Keep at it for a minute, it will be lumpy at first but will blend into a smooth sauce. You could do this in a blender if you really want, but that will add extra dishes. Taste, adjust to your liking and set aside.Meanwhile boil water in a large pot and cook your noodles. If using soba, be careful, as they are rather delicate compared to the other types and will cook quickly. Do not overcook your noodles, regardless of which kind you use.

Drain the noodles into the colander in the sink. Then immediately wash them in cool water. Turn on the faucet use your hands to pick up small handfuls of noodles and separate them between your fingers, taking care that each noodle is rinsed. Washing the noodles is most important to lo mein or soba, but helps to stop the cooking in the linguini and to remove any starchy residues to keep the noodles from clumping. Shake any excess water from the noodles, and turn them into the bowl of sauce. Using two forks, gently toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Add the vegetables (except cucumber) and however many sesame seeds you wish and toss gently to combine. Top with cucumber strips and fresh cilantro or basil, if using, and serve.


Notes:

-This is one of those recipes where you can use pretty much whatever veggies you want. The ones I’ve chosen are based on my own tastes. I wouldn’t recommend broccoli, cauliflower, peas or corn, but nearly anything else that can be cut into strips would be perfect. Bok choy, cabbage, spinach, radishes, celery, even peeled and seeded tomatoes are pretty good. Whatever you’ve got in your crisper will probably work out just fine, just pick what looks good and run with it. Pre-cut veggies are great here too. In fact, the only way I'd recommend broccoli in this is if you use the broccoli slaw mix, as the hard work is already done and the shape is just about perfect.
-Bean sprouts. You can jam as many as you like into this recipe, and I’m tempted to try it sometime without any actual noodles. Because of their shape they virtually disappear into the mix here and their mild flavor blends very well with the citrussy-tart peanut sauce. They retain their crunch as well, but aren’t as noticeable on their own as they might be in other recipes. Definitely a good way to use up a bag of them or feed them to someone who wouldn’t normally go for them.
-I like my noodles a little drier than other people when it comes to peanut sauces, so if you feel the need for more sauce, it’s pretty easy to make a little more and toss it in. It’s also pretty easy to overdo it, so keep an eye on how much sauce is sitting in the bottom of your bowl before you drown it.
-You could easily sub out the peanut butter or part of it for other butters, including tahini. I haven’t made it with straight tahini yet, but if a whole lot of sesame is your thing, go for it. If I want a bit more sesame punch, I’ve added a tablespoon or so and a little extra lime juice. That’s enough for me, but again, make it however you want it.
-Lime juice is far from the only acid you can use in this sauce. Lemon works pretty well, and I’ve read in other places that you can even use orange juice, but you’ll need to up the acidity with rice vinegar.