Indonesian Peanut Noodle

Looking for something different yet piquant, spicy, filling, healthy and incredibly easy to put together? Look no further. Full of fresh ingredients, Indonesian Peanut Noodle is infinitely adaptable, and extremely tasty. The sauce is versatile by itself – be it for noodles or for summer rolls or as a dip for vegetables to fritters. With absolutely no artificial anything. Most noodle dishes are swimming in oil, this hardly has any. The individual elements can also be prepared ahead of time and cooked in a jiffy before serving.

This is Mrs. Suchitra Arvind’s recipe, sent to me by her sister, and my friend, Dr. Jayshree Soundararajan. It is shared with permission. Thank you, Suchitra.

A note on ingredients and measurements:

The amount of vegetables used is one’s individual preference. In our family, we like a LOT of vegetables – by volume, vegetables will at least be equal, if not more, in volume, than the cooked noodles. Amount of sauce required is a factor of volume of ALL ingredients used – so taste test and decide what works for you.

Noodles – Rice noodles (as used for Pho and Pad Thai) are commonly used in this recipe. However, I have had similar dishes with soba, hokkein, udon and freshly extruded noodles and it will all work. Please cook each according to its instructions. In certain countries, these are probably all available in the same store. However, in others, it might be difficult to get any of these. In that case, just grab a bag of linguine or fettuccine, cook according to package directions and use. Pasta and noodles are the same – the differences are mere semantics.

Vegetables – what you use or do not is entirely upto you. Generally speaking, vegetables that can be flash cooked/stir fried will work best because maintaining the colour and crunch really accentuates the taste. I used red and green bell peppers (capsicum), broccoli and carrots. Baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bok choy, mushrooms – are all excellent additions, as are tofu, seitan and tempeh. Frozen stir-fried vegetables can definitely be used after cooking as per package directions.

Tamarind – Since it is commonly available here, I use the actual tamarind fruit. However, feel free to use the readily bottled tamarind extract – there will not be any compromise to taste.

Chillies – the quantity used here is for a normal Indian palette – it is not dull, neither is it fiery. Use as per your preference.

1 cup is 237-250ml, 1 tbsp is 15 ml and 1 tsp is 5 ml.

Ingredients (for four normal adults):

Noodles / Pasta of choice (rice noodles pictured) – 8oz (uncooked weight) to be cooked according to package directions. Add a tbsp of oil, toss and keep aside (the oil helps to keep the noodles from sticking and clumping together).

Vegetables (as per taste – read note above):

2 large red bell peppers – cut into short thin strips

1 large green bell pepper – cut into short thin strips

2 large carrots – cut into short thin strips

½ pound broccoli – cut into small florets

1 stalk celery – cut small

4 stalks green onions (scallions) – bulbs and greens separated and cut small

Stir fry all vegetables (except for scallion greens) together in 1 tbsp of oil until crunchy tender. Set aside.

Sauce:

¾ cup roasted peanuts (with or without red skin)

Lime size (Indian, aka key lime, size) tamarind, soaked and pulp extracted

6 large cloves fresh garlic

2” piece fresh ginger

4 fresh green chillies (I used cayenne)

7 dried red chillies

8 sprigs fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

3 tbsp jaggery (or any sweetener of your choice – plain sugar works perfectly well too)

3 tsp soy sauce

Salt to taste (if noodle/pasta has been salted, adjust accordingly)

In a blender, grind all above to smooth consistency using 1/2 to 3/4 cup water to have a reasonably thick sauce.

Assembly:

Set a large pan on medium heat, add the stir-fried vegetables, noodles and sauce – if you have reduced the quantity of vegetables, you might want to add the sauce in stages, taste test and add more. Toss together until heated through and well coated. Serve immediately in a bowl, garnished with mung bean sprouts, scallion greens and more roasted peanuts if desired. Left overs can be microwaved briefly and enjoyed.