My boyfriend loves three things when it comes to food - Peanut Butter, Spicy, and Garlic so that was my inspiration for this Thai inspired cold noodle salad i made to go along with the fried shrimp. like i have mentioned before i cook in a chaotic way but to me there is method to my madness. i researched tons of different peanut sauces, and dressings, and noodle this and noodle that until i was able to gather the best of all the recipes and mash it up into what i thought would taste the best.
i started with linguine noodles and used about half a box for the two of us knowing that my boyfriend was going to need some leftovers for lunch the next day. i like my pasta al dente so after about 12 minutes i drained my noodles and let them cool. be sure to give your water a good dash of salt and olive oil, this not only flavors the pasta but also prevents your noodles from sticking to each other. also keep in mind that i am on weight watchers and constantly trying to create health conscious dishes so i did use whole wheat pasta but feel free to use white flour pasta, even soba noodles if you had the time to go to the Asian market.
the sauce is super easy also, i started by adding 1 cup of peanut butter and half a can of coconut milk (again i used the light coconut milk but you can use the full fat if you prefer) and put it on med-low heat. as the peanut butter began to liquefy i added in a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic, the juice of half a lime and began to squeeze in the siracha paste. siracha is like a spicy Asian ketchup and it is freaking awesome. my boyfriend and i can handle a little heat (in and out of the bedroom -- gosh i just set myself up for that one) so i started with a generous squirt, worked it in and then tasted. the amount of siracha is personal preference only, i ended up using about 4 teaspoons which gave the sauce a nice heat that snuck up on you once the coconut and peanut butter taste subsided.
incorporate the warm noodles [you do not want them to be entirely cooled down, if the pasta is warm the sauce will stick better and really be absorbed better] with the sauce. allow to cool completely. now you could stop here... but why would you? ransack the fridge for all the veggies you have that you need to use up. i added shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onion, julienne red peppers to my noodle salad. adding bean sprouts, snap peas, water chestnuts would also be tasty! this salad is perfect it has subtle heat, elements of crunch and creaminess and lets be honest pasta is always delicious.
stay tuned for the easiest fried shrimp recipe and the chili garlic sauce that passed what Guy Fieri would refer to as the "flip flop test." until next time, eat laugh love and enjoy!
I am going to totally try this. I LOVE thai food! :)
ReplyDelete