or more accurately, peanut butter noodles. but the dish is still much better known as "noodles in sesame sauce" and usually ‘cold’, at that. at least in nyc where i lived on it for the better part of my early 20′s. and even though i’ve seen a few versions that use roasted tahini, the peanut butter version just works so well on every level that it’s what i do, because it is quite frankly – an absolute and total winner. and everybody loves a winner… yessiree.
anyway, this dish had been on my mind since i saw it over at smitten kitchen and then recently again at kalyn’s, where she used whole wheat noodles. i think the earthiness of the ww pasta lends itself perfectly to this dish. my version is an adaption of both of those, leaning more towards the ‘gourmet’ recipe from june 2002
peanut sesame noodles
adapted from gourmet, june 2002
i totally blanked on the sesame seeds, which is too bad because i have the black ones sitting right in my kitchen and they’re both a great looking garnish and tasty. so try to use your imagination, ok?
1/2 cup smooth organic peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoon brown sugar or honey or agave
1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce – or to taste
1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti
1 orange or red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 cup of snow peas
4 scallions, thinly sliced
chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 lb of shrimp or chicken or beef or pork belly! or tofu
mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a strong blender, set aside
put water on to boil for noodles
slice the cucumbers and bell peppers into long thin strips
slice the scallions and chop the cilantro
if you’re using shrimp, skewer and grill. if you’re using another protein, i trust that you will figure it all out just fine…
one minute before the pasta is ready, throw the snow peas into the pasta water.
drain and toss with the sauce, serve immediately garnished with the vegetables and make it all look pretty,
because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough and doggone it people like you…
42 responses so far ↓
1 ntsc // Jun 4, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Pork Belly, Ruhlman would love it.
2 Laura @ Hungry and Frozen // Jun 4, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Well. That is some crazily gorgeous presentation. I LOVE sesame, anything nutty in flavour I guess, serving with wholewheat noodles sounds delicious…
3 cookiecrumb // Jun 4, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I KNOW!!!
I was captivated by this recipe on Kalyn’s blog…
I don’t have peanut butter in the house, but tahini, or — almond butter!
I could even do it without additional protein, but shrimp is yumz.
(Yer photos is superb. Yaz.)
4 Robert // Jun 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Fret,
Bad news. Font size and color, not to mention the close proximity of the words Tofu and Pork Belly indicates transference of anxiety. It was the absolute fine print state of ‘Tofu’ that give you away. We will entirely overlook the mental factor in the genesis of this anxiety and further the very important fact that it is not merely an ignorance of certain things in the writer’s unconscious, which is important, but the resistances which first occasioned this ignorance. I’m thinking it was probably your early 20’s.
In other words, the patient cannot be told of their unconscious content from the outside but must be brought to the point of appreciating it himself from the inside. Further, the transference must be properly understood and utilized in any successful treatment. You are going to have to really like Tofu as much or more than Pork Belly before this angst passes…… Freud
5 Laura Grace // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:00 pm
OOH. I make something like this all the time when I have leftover pasta… Isn’t it weird to think that peanut butter + spaghetti = delicious? Yeah, pretty weird.
6 cookinpanda // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I love the peanut sauce. It really sounds delicious. And it’s one of the more complete and thorough ones I’ve seen. Gorgeous photos as well.
7 Marc @ No Recipes // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Yumm looks delicious. I’m always substituting peanut butter for sesame paste. I’ve even been known to put some miso ramen to up the richness.
8 Diana // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I’m going to give your peanut sauce a go. I can’t make peanut butter noodles without requiring at least 3 glasses of water – waaay too sticky. These noodles look perfect!
9 Kim // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:17 pm
By the font size, it looks like you would like us to try the PORK BELLY. Will do.
10 Becky and the Beanstock // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:56 pm
No pork bellies for this pescetarian, but the shrimp works just fine. I’m a big fan of this dish — it’s a lazy day kind of dish (if you pass on skewering and grilling the meat/fish, anyway) and I”m in favor of that. Plus, as we head into the dog days of June (hey, in the Midwest it really IS that bad) I’m happy for anything that I can eat at a temperature that is lower than my body’s.
11 Mary Coleman // Jun 4, 2008 at 9:12 pm
TOO funny!! Love the pb sauce. I could eat that without anything else.
12 The Spotted Apron // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:21 pm
this looks great but with shrimp or tofu. the idea of pork belly freaks me out. all three people used pork belly on top chef tonight!
13 kitt // Jun 4, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Yum yum! I’ve made Heidie’s version from 101 Cookbooks with soba noodles (photos here), and that’s a pretty good recipe, too. Very versatile!
14 Rosemary // Jun 5, 2008 at 3:26 am
I love your presentation.
15 Peter // Jun 5, 2008 at 4:01 am
CEF, this dish is WOWy-WOW-WOW! It’s looks wonderful, healthy and it’s striking!
16 yveala // Jun 5, 2008 at 4:06 am
i love tofu…this looks delicious and you photos are fantastic
17 Jose // Jun 5, 2008 at 5:57 am
A beautiful version of a favorite dish of mine. I will try your recipe because i know it’ll be excellent. Thank you.
18 Donald // Jun 5, 2008 at 6:17 am
Claudia, this is a winner for real!
I will be trying this one very soon. I think I may wok the whole though. You’ll be hearing from me.
Oh, and there will be no tofu!
19 Julie // Jun 5, 2008 at 6:54 am
Now that looks like a delicious dinner which comes with the additional bonus of actually being relatively good for you. OK, with pork belly, maybe not so much, but with shrimp (or tofu), pretty darned healthy.
20 Jeff // Jun 5, 2008 at 8:26 am
This dish looks amazing and sexy. I love all the wonderful vegetables and the fact I can use pork belly.
21 evil chef mom // Jun 5, 2008 at 9:13 am
I loved this dish when I made Smitten Kitchen’s recipe and you are right everyone loves it. I guess I now need to make your recipe.
22 Heather // Jun 5, 2008 at 10:31 am
I spy a pea shoot!
You could’ve just photoshopped little black dots on the pic and we’da been none the wiser.
23 Psychgrad // Jun 5, 2008 at 11:12 am
I haven’t tried using tahini in anything but hummus, but I think I too would prefer peanut butter in this dish. This would be a hit at my place. Adding it to the list.
24 Stephanie // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:38 pm
This is a perfect dinner to give my husband. he’s from New York and has talked about the cold sesame noodles. But I will try and remember the seeds!!!
25 Jennifer Hess // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:46 pm
ARGH! Want! I even bought peanut butter a couple of weeks ago and I just. keep. putting. it off. No more.
26 Lynn // Jun 5, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Stunning visual! Finally something that looks within my realm of possibility!
I’m gonna try this one! Of course, it’ll never be as pretty as yours.
27 Chris // Jun 5, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I would have offered pork belly if I had known about this one…
As always, very pretty.
28 Ethel // Jun 5, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Loved the presentation, photography, and this dish is my kind of food. Now if only you’d cook it for me !!!!!!
29 Kevin // Jun 5, 2008 at 6:21 pm
That looks really good! I like pasta dishes with peanut sauce.
30 We Are Never Full // Jun 6, 2008 at 8:59 am
One of my faves – AND I’m obsessed with peanut butter and anything utilizing it. I used to run out in the morning on my way to work and all I would eat is a big tablespoon of peanut butter. I was satisfied in many ways.
Whoa, imagining this with some pork belly….
31 michelle @ TNS // Jun 6, 2008 at 3:00 pm
pork belly, yes! tofu, nooooo. unless maybe you deep fried it. but even then, all i can muster is a half-hearted meh.
I *heart* peanut sauce.
that is all.
32 nina // Jun 7, 2008 at 8:29 am
Oh my word, this is a beautiful plate of food. I would pay a substantial amount of money for this in a restaurant.
33 Lesley // Jun 7, 2008 at 8:39 am
I can hear the whisper of the word tofu, but a little stir-fried tofu would be wonderful here. I have a sesame noodle dish with tofu that is soooo good. I need to make that again soon. Someone who’s detoxing might really like it!
34 Rebecca (Foodie With Family) // Jun 7, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Wow. I think if I made this for my husband I could buy anything I wanted.
…And if I made this maybe the boys would behave for 10 minutes. Today, despite 96F weather my 6 year old said, “Mom. I know what we should have for dinner. (pregnant pause) SHRIMP RISOTTO.”
Ummmm, right. I’ll stand over the stove for an hour and make you shrimp risotto.
This would get me off the hook and keep them all happier than pigs in mud.
35 fluffernutter // Jun 8, 2008 at 11:21 am
This picture is so nice– did you get one of those huge studio lights? I’m jealous.
36 FlaNBoyant Eats // Jun 9, 2008 at 12:45 am
Goodness, dishes like this make me really miss shrimp. It’s been about 5 or 6 years since I’ve had it!
Peanut noodles sound amazing!
37 The Urban Eater // Jun 9, 2008 at 11:01 am
Mmmmmmmmmmmm…..poooorrrkkkkk beeelllyyyyyyyy……the crispy crackly gem of the pig.
I’m in. Got everything but the pork belly.
38 Lisa // Jun 9, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Wow I just found you site thru Evil Chef Mom. I have to to tell ya – I am impressed. Your food looks like what my food would like to look like when it grows up!!! I just bookmarked you so I can come back and see what I should be cooking!
39 Lynn // Jun 12, 2008 at 9:19 am
I made it. The peanutty goodness of the sauce over the pasta = Heaven.
My girlfriend swooned over my noodles.
40 Mari // Jun 23, 2008 at 5:10 am
Cold peanut butter sauce noodles send me to the moon! I wish I was having that plate for lunch today!!!
41 Gayle // Jul 17, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Looks like a big yum!! I’ll make it tomorrow night.
42 Gayle // Jul 24, 2008 at 9:17 am
The peanut sesame recipe was delish! Can’t wait to make it for friends!
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