CEimB: Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce

This weeks CEimB is hosted by MrsBethorama at Supplicious.  You can find the recipe in the book, “The Food You Crave” by Ellie Krieger on page 167 or online at the Food Network. 

It was an interesting recipe.  I went about it with a lot of skepticism and kept the changes to a minimum.

The ingredient changes by Apple Crumbles are in RED.

• 1/ 2 pkg. Udon Kamut pasta
• 1 1/2 cups Broccoli Florets
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas (untrimmed – whoops!)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas (untrimmed, ah hem…whoops!)
• 1/4 cup toasted, roasted, salted peanuts  (I toasted them in a toaster oven instead of a skillet)
• 1/3 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
• 3 TBS Tamari sauce

Soy Sauce Basics:  To start, we look at the components of soy sauce.

• Soy sauce is a fermentation of soybeans, grain (usually wheat), water and salt. It is typically dark brown (though colors can vary greatly) and has a pleasant, earthy smell. The differences among soy sauces usually come from the varying proportions of soy beans to wheat, as well as added ingredients.
• Tamari is a Japanese variation of soy sauce made for cooking, rather than for use as a condiment. It contains more soybeans and little or no wheat. It retains more flavors in cooking than soy sauce; and its rich, meaty flavor crosses over well in Western gravies, soups and sauces.

• 3 TBS water
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 3/4 ” pc of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 1/2 TBS dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

The directions are easy:  Cook your noodles according to the package directions.  Steam the broccoli for 3 minutes then add the peas and steam for another 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.  Toast the nuts then chop.  Mix all the sauce ingredients….my sauce was pureed with an immersion blender  instead of a food processor. I hate cleaning that thing!  Mix some of the sauce with the noodles and put some in small bowls on the side if additional sauce is desired.  Serve with the vegetables as you like – mix them in or separately on the side.  Top with the chopped roasted nuts.

Ted’s comment:   “Ellie gets an A PLUS!”  Ted really likes peanut butter so this was an instant hit.

Joanne’s comment:  “Wow..this is really good.”  I like peanut butter but I’m not crazy over noodles. This recipe really did surprise me. 

The dish was so balanced between the sweetness of the sugar, the peanut butter, the zest from the lime, and finally, the hint of red pepper. 

We served this dish at room temperature.  I’m not sure whether this was suppose to be served piping hot or cold or what, but I have a feeling it would be very good any which way.

MrsBethorama…FANTASTIC!

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