This is one of my old tried and true recipes and also one of our family’s all time favorites. Perfect for a large get together and totally tasty. There are a lot of ingredients but it is very easy to put together and it’s always a hit! I made the sauce a day ahead which I highly recommend doing, it gives flavors a chance to really come together. I had all the ingredients in the house and day of I will cook the noodles and mix together. If making sauce ahead of time — take it out of refrigerator and let the sauce sit at room temperature before mixing with noodles. I used 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but because I wasn’t sure of everyone’s taste buds for hot and spicy I left out the chili oil. If you want it spicier you can always add some hot chili oil, or more cayenne pepper. You can actually make the sauce a few days ahead of time. Enjoy this oldie but goodie. I have played around with the recipe a lot, and have found these ingredients work the best for me. I also like to put a little fresh cilantro on the side for those who love it ( like me) and don’t leave out the chopped peanuts they give it that extra yummy crunch. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lb. linguine or spaghetti ( or you can use Chinese egg noodles)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
7 tablespoons Peanut Butter ( creamy ) by the way I always use the low-fat one, it’s perfectly fine
2/3 cup warm water
6 tablespoons soy sauce ( use low sodium)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to specific taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
3 to 4 scallions , finely chopped
*1 sliced cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned (optional) but tasty and crunchy
*fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
*sprinkle of chopped peanuts ( optional) but extra added crunch if you have them on hand
*dash of hot chili oil ( to taste) I usually just throw in a dash of this.
Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, using a fork or a small wire whisk, beat the peanut butter together with the water until it is smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt. Beat till smooth. If you’re adding hot chili oil this is when you would add that.
Add the chopped garlic, and stir well. Because I was using it the next day, I left out scallions till I cooked pasta .
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water, until noodles are cooled down sufficiently. Place noodles in a large bowl, drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss well. Refrigerate noodles until you are ready to serve. About an hour or so before I am ready to serve, I pour sauce over noodles and mix well. Make sure sauce has been left out at room temperature for a while till it’s not too cold. Add the scallions and cucumbers and mix well. Right before serving you can sprinkle the cilantro and chopped peanuts if you like. I pour about 2/3 of the sauce over noodles and mix well, adding more sauce as I feel necessary. I definitely didn’t use all of the sauce that I made, add slowly and taste as you go along. Right before serving I usually add some more sauce, but leave it out at room temperature. This is a deadly go to leftover the next day.
Cooking with Candi 