These cold Peanut Noodles and summer are a perfect match. They are topped with cooling, crunchy veggies, and the peanut sauce is hands down the best you’ve ever had. Both the sauce and the noodles can be prepped the day before, which makes these peanut noodles a great option on the hot and lazy days of summer. Make a batch and take them to the beach, a picnic, or bbq!

Peanut Noodles Sauce

There are so many peanut sauces that are bland, or so sweet they could be a peanut butter cookie. Well, not this one! The secret is using actual peanuts, not just peanut butter. Frying them takes just a few minutes, and the difference will blow you away. Rich, peanutty goodness.

The sauce can last up to 5 days in the fridge. You can use any extra with grilled meats or as a dipping sauce for veggies… provided you don’t just eat it all with a spoon.

The Peanut Noodles Veggies

These peanut noodles are topped with so many fresh veggies, why it’s practically a salad! I officially give you permission to tell yourself that. I like to slice them into thin strips so they can twirl around my fork with the noodles. I like to prep them the day before so they are nice and cold.

I put all the julienned veggies on a plate, and the cilantro and scallions in a small bowl, cover them both with wrap, and keep them in the fridge until I make the noodles.

Finishing Peanut Noodles

You can use any long straight noodles, I used spaghetti here. But bucatini, linguini, or thin Shanghai noodles would work well too. Just cook according to package directions.

Toss the noodles with the sauce; be generous! Now it’s time to take out all your beautifully chopped veggies and assemble your peanut noodles.

Sprinkle the reserved chopped peanuts on top, and I like to serve with extra sauce on the side.

I hope you enjoy digging into these peanut noodles all summer long; I know we do! Please take a moment to let me know what you think of them; rate and comment on the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen. We love seeing your creations! And if you are noodleholic like I am, check out these popular recipes:

• Soba
• Noodle Salad
• Tarako Spaghetti

Peanut Noodles

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Pan-Asian

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Ingredients

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Peanut Sauce:

• 1 ¾ cups peanuts
• 1 cup neutral oil
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons sriracha
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ cup water

For the Noodles:

• 1 pound thin shanghai noodles, 1 pound thin spaghetti, or really any straight noodle
• ½ english cucumber 
• 1 large carrot 
• 1 red pepper 
• 3 scallions
• ¼ bunch cilantro (about ½ cup)

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Instructions

Make the Peanut Sauce:

1. Place the peanuts in a medium skillet and cover with the oil. Place the pan over medium heat and toast the peanuts in oil for 5-8 minutes until they are a medium tan color. 
2. Take the pan off the heat and then strain the peanuts out with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and set aside.
3. Cool the nuts and the oil to room temperature. Set aside ¼ cup of the peanuts for garnish.
4. Place the peanuts, ½ cup of the frying oil, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sriracha, salt, peanut butter, sesame oil, and water in a blender cup.
5. Blend until smooth.
6. The sauce should be thick and creamy like mayonnaise. If it seems too thick, add a little water until you have the right consistency. The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 5 days. Let the sauce warm on the counter for 10 minutes and then stir well when ready to use.

Prep the vegetables: 

1. Cut the cucumber into 2 inch logs. Slice each cucumber log lengthwise. Then stack the slices and cut across them to create ¼ inch strips. Set aside on a plate. 
2. Peel the carrot and slice thinly on the bias. Stack the carrot slices and cut across them again to create ¼ inch strips. Set next to the cucumber. 
3. Cut the red pepper in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the peppers into ¼ inch strips. Put onto the same plate with the other veggies. 
4. Wash and trim the scallions. Cut thinly and set aside on a small plate. Wash and chop the cilantro and put them on the same plate as the scallions. 
5. Set both plates, covered in plastic wrap, in the fridge until ready to use. Veggies can be prepped the day before.

Prepare the noodles:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook noodles according to package instructions.
2. Drain under cool running water in a colander. Let the water drain and then shake the colander a couple of times to drain the remaining water. 
3. Put the noodles in a bowl and top with 1 ½ cups of sauce. Mix the noodles with the sauce until the noodles are evenly coated.
4. Separate the noodles into four separate serving bowls. (You can also make one large platter and share at the table.)
5. Evenly divide the vegetables on top of the noodles and then garnish with the peanuts, scallions, and cilantro.
6. Serve peanut noodles with extra sauce on the side.

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Notes

*Extra sauce can be used to top grilled meats or used as a dipping sauce for cut veggies.

Keywords: peanut noodles, sriracha, vegan, vegetarian, noodle bowls,

I’ve never met a noodle dish I didn’t like, but these are some of my favorites. Toshikoshi Soba are a traditional Japanese dish for New Years. The long noodles symbolize longevity, and the fact that buckwheat noodles (which are gluten free and therefore fragile) are easily cut is a reminder to cut loose your troubles from the previous year and begin anew. Toshikoshi Soba features soba noodles in a deeply savory broth. If  your New Years feast has lots of different dishes, you can keep it just that simple. Or you can garnish it with all manners of toppings and make a complete meal out of a filling noodle bowl. So if you’re ready to cut loose your troubles from 2021, let’s get started.

Toshikoshi Broth

The broth for Toshikoshi Soba is quintessentially Japanese. Made with common pantry items in every Japanese home, it tastes like it simmered for hours but comes together much faster. Most of the time involved is soaking time for the kombu. The kombu brings a clean taste of the ocean. Then we have katsuobushi for a lingering hint of smoke, while sake, mirin, and soy sauce add their characteristic sweet and salty umami umami depth. (In the recipe’s notes I give you a way to make the broth even faster!)

I start making the toshikoshi broth by soaking a piece of kombu in water, for at least an hour. The longer it soaks, the more flavor the broth will develop. Then I bring the kombu and its soaking water to a simmer in a sauce pan. As soon as the water simmers, it’s time to add the bonito flakes. You do not want to continue simmering as the kombu will start to turn slimy if agitated in boiling water. Also, the low heat keeps the broth crystal clear.

Then I add the mirin, soy sauce, sake and seasonings to the stock. I bring it to a simmer, remove from the heat, and set aside covered until ready to use.

Toshikoshi Soba Toppings

While soba noodles are totally delicious topped with the broth alone, I like to add some toppings to mine to add some variety and contrast. Poached eggs, wakame, scallions, and fried tofu turn it into a complete meal, with lots of textures and flavors. The wakame just needs to be bloomed in water for 10 minutes. I use a seasoned fried tofu that comes in a can. All of these can be set out so guests can top their own toshikoshi soba with anything they want.

Poaching the eggs takes just a couple minutes. I put the water on to boil for the soba while I’m poaching the eggs. Poaching eggs is very simple but the key is to keep the water at a gentle simmer and to add a little vinegar to encourage the whites to set with an even shape. The last tip is to stir the water before gently dropping in the egg. This ensures that the egg doesn’t adhere to the bottom of the pan and stays floating in the center. The process only takes a minute or two so I would advise you to only do one egg at a time so they all come out perfectly.

Slurping down these noodles is my favorite way to ring in the new year, and I hope you love them too. Let me know what you think by rating and commenting on the recipe, and tag me in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!

Toshikoshi Soba

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus soaking time)
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: serves 2
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

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Ingredients:

• 7 oz dried soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)

 

For Soup Broth:

• 3 cups water
• 1 piece dried kombu kelp (4 inch x 4 inch piece, about the size of your hand)
• 1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
• 1 Tablespoon sake
• 3 Tablespoon mirin 
• 3 Tablespoon soy sauce 
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar 

Garnish:

2 scallions

Additional Toppings (all are optional):

• 2 teaspoons dried wakame seaweed
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar (to poach eggs)
• 2 pieces of canned seasoned fried tofu
• shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice chili blend)

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Instructions

1. Soak the kombu in 3 cups of water for at least 1 hour or up to overnight if possible.
2. Add the kombu and kombu water in a medium saucepan. Slowly bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Add the katsuobushi and stir. Then turn off the heat and let the katsuobushi steep for about 20 minutes (it will sink to the bottom of the pan).
4. Drain the stock into another saucepan, pressing down on the katsuobushi to extract all of the stock. Either discard the katsuobushi or find another use, such as serving it to your pets (my dog mina loves it sprinkled on her food).
5. Add the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and salt to the stock. Bring it to a simmer over high heat and then set aside covered with a lid until ready to use.

Prepare the toppings:

1. Rehydrate wakame seaweed in ½ cup of water for 10 minutes. Then squeeze the water out and set aside.
2. Thinly slice the green onion and set aside.
3. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan. Crack the eggs into 2 separate small bowls. Lower the heat to medium, add the vinegar, and stir the water with a spoon. Then as the water is moving, pour the egg gently into the saucepan. Stir the water gently for a couple seconds to keep the egg from touching the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, depending on how you like your egg done. Scoop the eggs out with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the other egg and set aside. 
4. In a pot of boiling water, cook soba noodles according to the package instructions. 
5. Drain the soba noodles and rinse them under running water to get rid of the excess starch. Transfer the noodles to individual bowls.
6. Bring the broth to a simmer over high heat. Pour the broth over the soba noodles and top with egg, wakame seaweed, seasoned fried bean curd, and green onions. 
7. Serve toshikoshi soba hot with shichimi pepper blend on the side.

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Notes

*I often make a quick and easy stock without going through the hassle of making one from scratch. (This may also be helpful if you don’t have any katsuobushi or kombu on hand). Instead of using the katsuobushi and the kelp, add 2 teaspoons of dashi powder to a saucepan along with the water, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Bring to a simmer, set aside, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

*You can also purchase ready made concentrated soup stock called Mentsuyu (or Tsuyu) in most Asian stores. The dilution ratio is on the package instructions. Dilute it with water and bring to a simmer to use.

Keywords: holiday, new years, noodles, soba, japanese