My Favorite Spicy Peanut Noodles

So it's my birthday, I'm home early from work (yayyyy Labor Day weekend!), and I'm starved but I don't want anything huge because Chris is taking me to Vidalia tonight. What's a hungry girl to do?--somen noodles with peanut butter, garlic, rice vinegar, and chili oil sounds just right. 2 oz of somen noodles is a generous one-person serving, and served with a chilled glass of Honeyweiss beer--I'm in heaven. I'll often double or triple this recipe, because it's great to keep in the fridge for snacking and keeps very well (and Chris loves it!). The recipe is originally from Serves One by Toni Lydecker, which is THE essential cookbook for any bachelor or bachelorette just striking out on their own. As a note, I'm quite generous with the garlic (as always) so if you're not as keen, reduce to a clove per serving. Also, this sauce is an excellent dipper for chicken satay, grilled chicken breast, stir-fried tofu, steamed veggies, or even rice with some sesame seeds dusted on top.

In honor of Lauren: to up the health content of this dish, try julienned bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Serves One--multiply recipe as needed.


2 tbsp natural (unhomogenized) peanut butter.
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce (reduced sodium is fine)
1 tsp firmly packed brown sugar (eyeball it)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped based on your preference
1/2 tsp chili oil (reduce to 1/4 if you don't like spicy stuff. No chili oil? Use hot sauce)
2 oz Asian wheat noodles, such as somen, or linguine. Linguine will not keep as well or have that delightful chewy texture.

1. Combine the pb, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and chili oil with 2 teaspoons water in a bowl. Blend the mixture with a fork until fairly homogenized, but don't fret too much because the heat from the noodles will help combine everything together.

2. Meanwhile, bring 1 qt water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the noodles and cook for a bit less than the recommended cooking time--this is more important for the linguine than the somen. Drain the noodles and combine with the sauce. Toss vigorously. Eat--preferably with a cold, cold beer.