Some days, even the best of us need a good gastronomic kick to get back to our senses. After a long, exhausting day, when boredom sets in, certain foods can help fix that off-kilter mood. Cravings come in many forms. Sometimes it’s emotional, like cleaning off an entire tub of ice cream or giving in to a sweet tooth after whipping up an experimental mug cake. But savoury food is in its own league, coming in hot and awakening your senses with its fiery flavours.
When it comes to spicy foods, noodles often emerge as a top pick. But before you add one to your cart on a 10-minute delivery service, why not try making it yourself? Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor shared a quick recipe on Instagram on February 20 for peanut butter noodles inspired by Thai cuisine. It is easy to make and finds the sweet spot between crunch and creaminess, making it just the right kind of dish that can elevate your mood on a bad day.
Thai peanut butter noodles recipe
Ingredients
- 150 grams of rice noodles
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 tbsps honey
- 2 tbsps red chilli sauce
- 2 tsps dark soya sauce
- ½ lemon
- 2 tsps blended sesame oil
- Salt to taste
- ¼ small purple cabbage, shredded
- 2 spring onion greens, thinly sliced
- 2 spring onion bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 small green cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 1 small red capsicum, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 small yellow capsicum, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
- ½ cup edamame beans
- White sesame seeds to sprinkle
Method
1. Take rice noodles in a bowl. Add sufficient hot water and set aside for 5-6 minutes.
2. Take peanut butter in a bowl. Add honey, red chilli sauce and dark soya sauce. Squeeze lemon, add blended sesame oil and salt and mix well.
3. Drain the rice noodles and transfer in a bowl. Add purple cabbage, spring onion greens, spring onion bulbs, green cucumber, red capsicum, yellow capsicum, carrot and edamame beans.
4. Drizzle prepared sauce mixture and sprinkle white sesame seeds on top.
5. Mix well and serve.
Why should you try this recipe?
The recipe’s hero ingredient is peanuts, which gives it a nutty taste, along with the signature creaminess. Now, if you are looking at preparation time, it is fairly easy. You can wrap it up in under 20-30 minutes. This noodle dish resembles a gourmet dish because of the meticulous nature of the ingredient arrangement and cooking style.
If you are looking into the flavour profile, you can expect a burst of sweet, spicy, tangy and savoury notes. For those who love the bite factor in their foods, this dish contains soft noodles and crunchy veggies.
For toppings, beyond the recipe, you can also customise to your liking. Usually, noodles/ramen are customisable, with toppings of green onions, soy-marinated eggs, cheese slices and so on.
Lastly, for health-conscious people, since you make this noodle at home, it does not contain MSG and is preservative-free, as you are in charge. Generally, market-bought noodles contain a lot of toxic preservatives. Moreover, the veggies add to your daily fibre intake.
Last but not least, for those who are intimidated by cooking, this dish is suitable, as all you need to do is stir and soak, no fancy cooking skills required, making this dish feasible for all kinds of cooks.
