I like peanut butter. Peanut butter sandwiches aren’t bad and I’ll occasionally eat a spoonful of peanut butter if I’m starving and there are no other easy snacks. It’s good, filling, and I like it. Stephen on the other hand, LOVES peanut butter. He could probably eat an entire jar in a couple days even if there was nothing in the house that I think would go well with peanut butter. That is definitely not me.
But mix peanut butter with chocolate or make a peanut sauce and I will be all over it. In fact, it’s probably best to hide your chocolate peanut butter treat or your peanut sauce from me because I will eat it all. This easy peanut noodles recipe is a perfect example. I will eat far more of this than I should just because of the peanut sauce. The chili oil doesn’t hurt either. In fact, it’s the creamy peanut sauce combined with the spicy oil that makes this dish so tasty and makes me want to eat it every day. And though I don’t actually eat this every day, it is one of our most frequently made easy weeknight staples. Try it and you’ll want to add it to your dinner rotation too!
Peanut noodles with chili oil
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces soba or thin spaghetti
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 14 ounce package of tofu (or other protein)
Directions
To make the chili oil:
Add the scallion whites, red pepper flakes, and vegetable oil to a small saucepan. Heat on low for about 12-15 minutes (stirring occasionally), or until the oil in sizzling and the scallions have turned a golden brown. Set aside and let cool.
To make the noodles:
While the chili oil is cooling, cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water, following the package directions. Run under cold water and drain well.
Cut the tofu into medium cubes. To steam, place into a microwave safe dish, cover with a paper towel, and heat for 1 to 1½ minutes.
Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of the chili oil in a large bowl. Taste and season with salt if needed. Add the noodles to the bowl and toss to coat. Top the noodles with steamed tofu (or protein of your choice), remaining scallions, and drizzle with more chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit