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Noodles with BGSK Peanut Sauce

(recipe, Cara Eisenpress & Phoebe Lapine)


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Introduction

This is among our most-requested dishes. We wouldn't recommend eating this with your fingers, but you can make it part of a cocktail spread by serving the noodles in individual bowls or Chinese take-out containers with chopsticks in them.

Ingredients

  1. 1 Tbsp. diced peeled fresh ginger
  2. 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
  3. ¼ cup sugar
  4. 1 tsp. chile paste, Sriracha sauce, or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  5. ½ cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural
  6. ¼ cup soy sauce
  7. 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  8. 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  9. 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  10. ¼ tsp. salt (optional)
  11. ¾ lb. fresh udon noodles, spaghetti, or linguine
  12. 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  13. 1 bunch scallions, green parts only, chopped
  14. 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
  15. 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Steps

  1. Pulse the ginger, garlic, and sugar in a food processor or blender until the mixture resembles a paste. Add the chile paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Process until smooth. Add ⅓ cup water, and pulse to combine. Taste, and add the salt if needed. Set the sauce aside for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld, or refrigerate it overnight. (If the sauce thickens when you refrigerate it, just add a few tablespoons of boiling water to thin it.)
  2. When you're ready to make the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles, following the package directions. Then drain, rinse with cold water until chilled, and toss with the vegetable oil.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, toss the noodles with the peanut sauce. Serve in individual portions, topped with the scallions, cucumber, and toasted sesame seeds.

Note

Culinate editor's notes: Given the generous amount of sauce (more than a cup) this recipe makes — and given its fiery spiciness — you may wish to increase to amount of pasta called for, up to 1½ pounds. (The resulting noodle salad will thus feed 6 to 8 people.) Thin carrot matchsticks are also a nice addition to this salad.