Peanut Noodles

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There are so many things I love to do on a hot summer day.  Beyond the nice weather, summer signals freedom, and I savor it.  This week, I packed a  book, blanket, and a small picnic consisting of cold water, sweet green grapes, fresh french bread, aged raw cheddar cheese, and crunchy pickles.  I took my mini feast outside and laid my blanket out on the grass, under a tree.  Peacefully, I read for hours until the sun set and fireflies lazily blinked around me.  I could not have been a happier girl. 

Many of my favorite things to do involve food in one way or another.  This is also true for many of my favorite memories.  In college, I loved to sit outside and enjoy a bowl of cold, peanut noodles, washed down with a chilled bottle of beer.  For years, I've tried to find a peanut noodle recipe that compared to the one I found in New York.  Eventually, I found a great recipe on Epicurious, shared by Gourmet magazine 

Though it may not seem as though there is enough sauce, don't fret your pretty (or handsome) head.  This is just the right amount of sauce.  You don’t want the dish to be too soupy – the sauce should cling to the noodles, coating them.  I find that mincing the garlic and ginger obviates the need to use a food processer to purée the sauce.  I just whisked the sauce with chopsticks (surprise, surprise!). 

For some extra kick, sprinkle with red pepper flakes or chili oil.  This dish is especially delicious with cold julienned cucumber or carrots, sliced chicken, tofu, and/or sesame seeds.  Whatever you wish to add to the noodles, prep and set aside in separate bowls so that you and your guests can help yourselves.  

Serves 8 as a main dish and 12-14 as a side dish.  Adapted from Gourmet magazine.

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cookies and ramen
(L-R/T-B: Peanut sauce; cucumber matchsticks; ginger ginger ginger!)

2 comments:

  1. This looks so good and I would love to have it in my tummy right now please. XOXO. :)

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  2. I made this recently and added lime juice. It was DELICIOUS and was enjoyed by all who tried it. The sauce is so rich and flavorful - I would suggest adding the sauce to the noodles (not the noodles to the sauce) so you can have just the right amount of flavor to your taste.

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