This Peanut Noodles recipe is super simple to put together and is consistently delicious.
I have a confession. I’ve struggled with making a good, comforting bowl of noodles for a long time. While I have great weakness for a delicious garlic noodles or a yummy plate of Chow Mein, for the longest time, I’ve relied on restaurants to provide me with this necessary supplement. Every time I’ve tried to make noodles, it has resulted in a salty goop that tastes overwhelmingly of soy sauce and rice vinegar…which is why I’m so proud of these Peanut Noodles, because I finally managed to coax just the taste I wanted out of my various bottles of sauces!
The secret ingredient is…are you ready for it? Ok, it is…really good peanut butter. I went and splurged and got myself Eliots Adult Nut Butter – Spicy Thai Peanut Butter from The Epicurean Trader that is, to quote Chandler, perfection. I’d never known that peanut butter could be such a wonderful addition to stir frys and noodles, but there you go! It’s so outrageously simple that I can’t believe this delicious secret was hidden from me for so many years. Now that I’ve discovered it, I desperately want to share this revelation with all of you.
The other interesting ingredient that I was initially quite skeptical about was…potatoes. And that was added only because my husband apparently used to always have potatoes in his Maggi noodles (if you don’t know what that is, I’m just sorry you’ve lived a half life). Now when someone you love gets that wistful look in their eyes as they talk about childhood memories of food, what can you do? So with great nervousness, I added a potato into the mix and it turned out to be…scrumptious!
I do hope you enjoy this recipe. You can easily play around with the vegetables you use, but the key trick to making these noodles work is getting the sauce right. And as long as you have a handy jar of peanut butter by your side, you can’t go wrong!
Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 6 oz Noodles of your choice
- 1 Large onion
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Potato
- 16 oz Cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp Peanut butter
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Gochujang (if you don't have this, any chili paste you have at home should do)
- 0.5 cup Water
- 1.5 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Cook the noodles as per instructions on packet. Drain and set aside.
- Thinly slice the onion and mushrooms.
- Chop carrots and potato into rough chunks.
- Add olive oil to a large pan/wok and let it heat.
- When the oil is hot, bring pan to medium-high heat and add the sliced onions.
- After a few minutes, add mushrooms, carrots and potatoes and stir once.
- Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to coat the vegetables and bring the pan to medium heat.
- It will take 8-10 minutes for the vegetables to fully cook. Keep stirring frequently.
- While the vegetables are cooking, mix peanut butter, gochujang and soy sauce in a small bowl.
- When the vegetables are fully cooked, bring the pan to low heat and add the sauce mixture.
- Add half a cup of water to the vegetables and let all of it cook together for a minute.
- Now add the cooked noodles in and toss till it is well coated in the sauce.
- Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top and serve!
