No-chop, so-good peanut butter noodles

[eppur_se_muova]

4. This is a cook-them-all-together recipe; I prefer this one from Madhur Jaffrey, in which the sauce is made separately.

I scaled up the recipe sixfold (threefold converts all tsp to Tsp, another two fold converts Tsp to oz).

3 oz sesame oil (preferably dark)
3 oz peanut oil
3 oz thin/light soy sauce
2 oz Chinese black vinegar
1 + 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts {unsalted fine}
1 + 1/2 t dehydrated garlic powder
2 T sugar
3/4 t cayenne pepper {or to taste}
1 + 1/2 c water {I prefer a lot less, about 1/4-1/3 c}

Just mix all together with a blender; I use a stick blender which has to run a long time to get all the peanuts. I'm thinking of grinding the peanuts separately next time to get them really fine. The amount of water specified in the original recipe makes for a thin sauce; I prefer something much thicker, but some water is necessary to thin the mixture or the peanuts don't even get chopped up. Next to the amount of water, the two biggest variables are the noodles and the vinegar. I have tried a lot of varieties of noodles, and prefer fatter noodles to thinner ones. I cook up a big batch (12-16 oz) of noodles, splash a little sesame oil on them, and stash them in the fridge. The when I get peckish I scoop out some noodles and a couple of big spoonfuls of sauce and toss. Some noodles stick together badly when they get cold, others make for messy eating. I have a couple of favorites I've found by trial and error, with Chinese flat wheat noodles being my current fave -- similar Korean-style noodles are also good, as long as not too thin. Udon noodles were my first choice but too expensive around here. Both noodles and sauce are good for several days in the fridge, if I don't eat them first. I might snack on this a couple of times a day for several days running.

The Chinese black vinegar varies tremendously from one brand to another, so some trial and error is needed. For the first time you might try adding 2/3 the amount and increase if needed; if you get a really strong vinegar you won't need to. I prefer a diluted, sweetened black vinegar.

The cayenne adds a little zang but it is not hot. Add more or less to taste.

1 + 1/4 tsp dehydrated garlic is supposedly equivalent to 6 cloves of fresh garlic. I prefer to cook hot dishes with fresh garlic; sauces and dressings can get by with garlic powder just fine.




See the original recipe here: https://thequincepoacher.blogspot.com/2011/02/cold-noodles-with-peanut-sauce-cookbook.html