Spicy peanut butter noodles

Lots of different noodles would no doubt be delicious coated in this nutty sauce, but I do love those packets of thick udon noodles which just need a quick blast in a pot of boiling water.

Credit: Donal's Meals in Minutes

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g udon noodles
• 2½ tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 3 tsp (15 ml) dark soy sauce
• 3 tsp (15 ml) rice wine vinegar
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) chilli oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
• 2 red chillies, finely sliced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles in boiling water until tender.
2. While the noodles cook, in a small saucepan over a medium heat whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oils, garlic, ginger and 1 sliced chilli until smooth.
3. Loosen the mixture with a little water, adding a tablespoon at a time until you are left with a sauce. When it comes to a steady simmer, lower the heat and keep it warm.
4. Drain the noodles and while they are still hot, toss through the peanut butter sauce. Add the remaining chilli, spring onions and sesame seeds and toss again. Serve straight away.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.