Noodling About Peanuts

If you take me out to the ball game, I will ask for neither peanuts or Cracker Jacks. Do they even still make Cracker Jacks? Anyway, I generally don't care for traditional American presentations of peanuts. 

I did, however, fall in love when I tried chicken in a peanut sauce at a Malaysian restaurant in Boston when I was sixteen. I've since enjoyed various satay variations, an attempt at peanut soup, Pad Thai, and peanuts as garnish on a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl.

I do not remember what I was hunting for when I came across this recipe  I've made it twice. The first time, I decided to overcomplicate things and threw in tofu and mushrooms. It really doesn't need anything else:

1 pound soba noodles (I had this as a main dish, which was about 3 oz of soba noodles dry)

¼ cup smooth natural peanut butter

¼ cup tahini

¼ cup water or chicken broth (I used vegetable broth here. While this isn't enough chicken broth to add a strong meaty flavor, I didn't want to have any meaty flavor to this. Plus, with the veg broth, I can serve this to my vegan friends)

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 small garlic cloves, minced (I did a little extra and I recommend pressing these so they'll be absorbed into the sauce better)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped

1 medium cucumber, deseeded and julienned

Boil water for the soba.  Cook according to package instructions.  (with the soba I bought, that meant throwing it in boiling water with a little salt, cooking for two minutes then rinsing with hot water to stop the cooking. Soba can get mushy easily.)

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, tahini, water (or chicken broth), soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes (More like 12).  Turn off the heat and stir in the cider vinegar, honey, and vegetable oil.

Pour into a large serving bowl, and mix with the drained soba. Top with sesame seeds, scallions, and cucumbers.  Serve immediately or let cool in the refrigerator and serve cold.

I ate mine room temperature and it was delicious. I think I can go a touch less on the vegetable oil next time. The noodles kept slipping off my chopsticks. 

If you try this, let me know!