cold sesame noodles

Ingredients:

For the peanut sauce:

½ cup smooth peanut butter

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

3 tablespoons hot water

1 ½ tablespoons lime juice

½ teaspoon lime zest

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon sriracha 

½ teaspoon fish sauce

Pinch kosher salt 

For the noodles:

8 oz spaghetti noodles

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into matchsticks

1 red pepper, cut into matchsticks

2 scallions, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal

¼ cup cilantro leaves

¼ salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

Whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, 3 tablespoons hot water, lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sriracha, fish sauce and a pinch of salt until smooth. Add more lime juice and/or salt to taste. The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to five days.

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain well. Toss the noodles with a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. If making ahead of time add a couple big spoonfuls of peanut sauce to lightly coat, cover, and refrigerate. Don’t add any more sauce. Toss with the rest of the sauce with noodles just before serving, otherwise the noodles will absorb all of the sauce.

To serve add the remaining sauce to the noodles and toss to evenly coat. Add three quarters of the cucumber, red pepper, scallions, cilantro leaves, and chopped peanuts and gently toss. Sprinkle the remaining on top to garnish.

Serves 4

(Note for a single serving, cook 2 ounces of noodles and prepare with one quarter of the sauce and a quarter of the vegetables and peanuts.)