Peanut Noodle Salad
Since we had a deli when I was growing up I admit to not being a kid who ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day but, I still loved peanut butter.
Today, I still love peanut butter and especially in this sweet and tangy Peanut Noodle Salad.
With some pantry staples and assorted fresh ingredients you can prepare your own version of this fresh and colorful dish.
The key to buffet assembly is to toss the peanut sauce with the pasta just before serving. Pasta loves peanut butter too and soaks it right up.
The main thing is to enjoy, knowing there exists a unique, fresh flavor packed dish to be had with that famous creamy, crunchy invention other than the famous lunch sandwich of youth.
Peanut Noodle Salad
Notes
Serves 8 as a side dish or a larger group for a pot luck. Toss sauce over noodles just before serving. Other colorful vegetables may be used flexibly in this dish, sno peas, thin sliced cabbage, purple cabbage. Cilantro is also common and a nice herb match.
Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
- 3 limes, juiced, strained
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce, optional
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 shakes Tabasco sauce or 1 tablespoon Sriracha, plus more to desired heat
- 1/2 lime juiced stirred with 2 tablespoons water, optional, for thinning sauce if desired
- For the Vegetables:
- 2-3 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, cut into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 cup blanched broccoli or green beans cut into small pieces
- For the Noodles:
- 1 pound thin spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- For the Garnish:
- reserved scallions
- 1/2 long red hot chili pepper, thinly sliced
- small handful of chopped peanuts and sesame seeds
- 1 small seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preparing the Sauce: In a medium sized bowl mix together the lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar, stir to dissolve sugar
- Add in the fresh garlic and ginger, stir
- Fold in the peanut butter to combine throughout, stir in the sesame oil and Tabasco or Sriracha, stir
- Pour in extra lime juice mixed with water to thin a bit, if desired
- Assembling the Vegetables:
- Toss vegetables together in a large bowl reserving some of the scallions for garnish
- Preparing the Noodles: Cook spaghetti, drain, run cold water over spaghetti until cooled down, toss with the canola oil
- Add cooled, oiled pasta to the vegetable bowl and toss throughout
- At serving time, using a spatula, add the peanut sauce into the pasta and vegetable bowl and toss to coat evenly
- Transfer Peanut Noodles to a serving platter, garnish with reserved scallions, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, chili pepper, and slices of cucumber
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