A Secret Recipe Drop

the noodles i've loved for decades

A couple months ago I posted a pretty bowl of noodles I made for dinner on my IG. One of you fine people, who exactly is buried in my DMs never to be found again, asked if I would post the recipe. Why had that never occurred to me? I’ve made some version of that bowl every month for the last 20 years, so I didn’t think anything about it. There are just some recipes I keep for myself, for special occasions, family get-togethers, etc. Cooking was my hobby long before it was my job, so they’re just some secret corners I keep private. But luckily for you guys, this recipe isn’t like that. These noodles are meant to be shared.

The peanut sauce is the trick to the whole thing. It’s very customizable, soft around the edges. More or less of any ingredient shouldn’t cause too many ripples in the taste. No shallot? Use onion or just garlic. No rice vinegar? Use more citrus or vice versa. Throw in some coconut milk instead of water to use up the last of the can. This sauce won’t blink. The more you make it, the less and less you’ll need to look at a recipe. All you absolutely need is ginger and peanut butter. Almond butter works in a pinch, but peanut is the way to go when you can. This is also a great recipe to cook with tweens or older kids. They can make the sauce and cook the noodles while you chop the veggies. All they have to do is blend and boil. Plus, when they’re out on their own this is an easy, cheap dish to make for themselves with minimal cooking. That’s exactly why I started making it 20 years ago.

My favorite way to eat this ginger peanut sauce is tossed over cold noodles like soba or udon with cucumbers, blanched carrots, and herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, and/or green onion tossed on top. During the summer I might pair the noodles with some grilled asparagus, baby bok choy, or curried tofu skewers (recipe coming in the new book this fall). During the winter, charred broccoli and cauliflower come to the party with some edamame. When I’ve felt a craving for this but have been out of noodles, I serve it over rice. The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge so I always like to make a little more than I’ll need for dinner so I can have it for quick meals during the week. I’ve even been known to thin out the tablespoon or two that’s left in the fridge with some rice vinegar and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and use it as dressing for a big garden salad full of romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, and whatever herbs I have around. It’s a workhorse and I hope it becomes part of your kitchen routines too.

Ginger Peanut Sauce with Cold Noodles

enough for 4 people

Ginger Peanut Sauce

⅓ cup peanut butter (whatever kind you like to buy is fine)

⅓ cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons water

1 shallot, roughly chopped or ¼ cup chopped onion

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, skinned and chopped into small piece, about 1 ½ heaping tablespoons

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce or your favorite Asian style hot sauce, optional

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons agave or your favorite liquid sweetener, optional depending on the sweetness of your peanut butter

12 ounce dry udon or soba noodles

2 carrots, chopped into matchsticks

3 small Persian cucumbers or half an English cucumber, cut into matchsticks

Chopped herbs like: cilantro, green onions, basil, mint

Optional toppings: sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, crispy shallots

Put a pot of water on the stove for the noodles. Cook them according to the package directions. While all of that is going on, make the sauce.

In a food processor or decent blender, add the peanut butter, rice vinegar, lime juice, water, shallot, ginger, garlic, tamari, chili garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil, and agave, if using. Run all that shit until the sauce looks smooth. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs. Would you like it with more lime, garlic, or more ginger? Go for it. Add more peanut butter or whatever you want to get it tasting right for you. Then pour that in a small container and stick it in the fridge. It’ll thicken up in there a little.

When the noodles are just about done boiling, toss the cut carrots into the pot and kind of mix them in with the noodles. This will soften them up just enough that they won’t be awkward or too crunchy with the noodles. After 30 seconds drain the whole pot and run the strainer under cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the carrots from getting mushy. Done.

To serve, grab a wide bowl or plate with low sides and smear some peanut sauce on the bottom of a section of it. Place a handful of cooked noodles and carrots on top then the cut cucumbers along one side of the noodles. Drizzle more peanut sauce over the top of the noodles. Place some of the herbs on the other side of the noodles in small piles. Top everything with some sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or crispy shallots.

Thanks for joining us here in The Broiler Room. We appreciate every single one of you.