Oriental Spaghetti With Cucumber And Spicy Peanut Sauce Recipe Epicuriouscom

SPICY SESAME NOODLES WITH CHOPPED PEANUTS AND THAI BASIL

Steps:

• Heat peanut oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl. Add next 6 ingredients; whisk to blend.
• Place noodles in sieve over sink. Separate noodles with fingers and shake to remove excess starch. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain thoroughly and transfer to bowl with sauce. Add sliced green onions and toss to coat noodles. Let stand at room temperature until noodles have absorbed dressing, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour. Stir in peanuts and Thai basil; toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

SPICY SZECHUAN PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.
• Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid (keeps 1 week, chilled; or distribute among 3 small containers and freeze what you don’t want to use within a week).
• To use: Boil 1 lb Asian noodles or spaghetti until al dente.
• Toss with ¾ cup of sauce (or more to taste), finely chopped scallions and chopped peanuts.
• Note: In the winter, I eat these noodles hot.
• In summer I rinse under cold water, cool and drain and serve them as a spicy noodle salad, often adding shredded bok choy, carrots, snowpeas, lots more of the peanut sauce, etc.

COLD SESAME NOODLES WITH CUCUMBER

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
• Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water and soak for 5 minutes, until well chilled. Drain again, return to the bowl, toss with the peanut oil, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, honey, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sriracha. Fold in the grated cucumber, half the scallion, and half the peanuts. Add the chilled pasta and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer to a serving bowl, twirling the pasta into a nest shape. Top with the sliced cucumber, cilantro, and the remaining scallion and peanuts.

PENNE WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the penne:
• Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over high heat. Add pork to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until pork is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Cool completely.
• Rinse pasta under cold water to cool. Drain well. Combine pasta, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro and pork in large bowl. Add enough peanut sauce to season to taste. Serve pasta immediately.
• To make the sauce:
• Whisk ingredients to blend in bowl.

SPICY SICHUAN PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor blend all ingredients with salt to taste until smooth. Transfer sauce to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Peanut sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.
• To use peanut sauce:
• Boil 1 pound Asian noodles or spaghetti until al dents and drain in a colander. Rinse noodles under cold water until cool and drain. Toss noodles with about 3/4 cup sauce and finely chopped scallion to taste. Serves 4 to 6.

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk or stir all of the ingredients until smooth.
• In a saucepan, bring to a simmer a cup of canned crushed pineapple and stir in the Spicy Peanut Sauce ingredients, omitting the water (yields about 1 1/2 cups).
• In a saucepan, bring a cup of canned diced tomatoes to a simmer and stir in the Spicy Peanut Sauce ingredients, omitting the water and sesame oil (yields about 1 1/2 cups).
• Use coconut milk instead of water.
• Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
• Serve baked fish or tofu on rice with steamed vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, cabbage, or snow peas, topped with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
• Top a bed of rice with steamed spinach or cabbage, shredded raw carrots, and Spicy Peanut Sauce.
• Drizzle warm Spicy Peanut Sauce on a salad of spinach or spring mix topped with cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes.
• Dress coleslaw with Pineapple Peanut Sauce for an unusual and delicious side dish.
• Stir African Peanut Sauce into white beans, black-eyed peas, or field peas and chopped cooked collards or other greens for a delicious one-pot meal.
• Pour Southeast Asian Peanut Sauce over rice noodles or linguine topped with mung bean sprouts and/or cucumber slices. Great with Easy Baked Tofu.

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the noodles in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, until cooked through but still firm. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
• Toss the Spicy Peanut Sauce with the noodles and garnish with the scallion and cilantro.
• Place all the ingredients (reserving 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons sliced scallions) except the peanut oil and salt in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and puree. Stop the motor and use a spoon or spatula to lift and incorporate the bottom of the mixture. With the motor running, slowly pour in the peanut oil. The sauce should be thick and creamy, like honey. Add a little water if it is too thick. The final sauce should be about the consistency of thin mayonnaise. Taste, and adjust seasoning for spiciness or salt.
• For a bit more texture, add some chopped peanuts to the finished sauce.