This dish has taste and texture coming from all directions. You can adjust some of the flavors to your liking. For example, omit the hot sauce and reduce the amount of fresh chile if you like it less spicy. You can also omit the peanuts to reduce the peanut flavor. This is inspired by a Chinese American noodle dish my father would make with tons of scallions and soy sauce. I love the thickness of the peanut sauce and the satisfying way the richness is balanced by the heat and all the fresh herbs. I usually serve it with roasted chicken or sides of roasted vegetables.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 3 to 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup shelled peanuts, lightly crushed (see Cook’s Note)
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar, plus a tiny pinch for the peanuts
- 1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 4 sprigs basil, stemmed
- 4 sprigs mint, stemmed
- 1 small Fresno chile, thinly sliced
- 5 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1/2 pound “toothy” pasta like dried bucatini or fresh lo mein noodles
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cook the peanuts: Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the canola oil and let heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, remove the pan from the heat and add the peanuts. Return the pan to the burner and gently fry them until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain any excess oil and season the peanuts with salt and a tiny pinch of sugar.
- Prepare the sauce: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the warm water. It may break but will come together as you whisk it more. Whisk in the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, hot sauce, red wine vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir in the basil, mint, chile and scallion whites.
- Cook the pasta: When the water comes to a boil, season with salt until the water tastes like seawater. Plunge the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the peanut sauce, or drain the pasta and toss immediately into the sauce.
- Serve: Top the noodles with the peanuts and sliced scallion greens.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 537 |
| Total Fat | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Sodium | 1176 mg |
Reviews
So flavorful! Worth buying all the “sauces” that you mix together.
Totally delicious, made it for my son, who has celiac. He loved it. I made it with GF rice noodles.
5 stars
5 stars
Not bad but the recipe is a bit too peanut forward. Next time I’ll try an 1/8th of a cup of peanut butter and/or coconut milk or something to cut it a bit. Otherwise tasty and fast.
I made this tonight for dinner. What a hit. Added chicken, which I marinated in Soy sauce, garlic cloves, ginger sesame oil and balsamic, for 1 hour. This will be a regular rotation on our dinner meals. Loved it!!
I made this recipe and it was amazing. I made some grilled chicken with the pasta. Thanks! Renee
This is a very good recipe. Very complex flavors and textures without being as labor intensive as a dish like Pad Thai. I had some leftover tofu I fried up and threw in. Didn’t add anything to the dish, but help me get rid of the tofu. I highly recommend this.
This was so delicious and easy to make. Great weeknight meal. I didn’t have Fresno so used jalapeños and my family loved it. Just enough heat to make you want more. Will definitely make this again
Just saw the show this morning and this looked so good I had to try it today. I didn’t have peanuts so I used pistachios and soba noodles. I left out the fish sauce to keep it plant based. I also used a ton of herbs. YUM! Thanks Alex:)