PB Noodles

Peanut butter noodles are my ultimate comfort food.  My cousin taught me how to make them when I was little and I've been making them ever since.  They taste like home to me.  It's a very simple, simple dish, and I always have the ingredients for it in my pantry.  I prefer peanut butter noodles on their own, nice and simple, but they'd be great with some ground pork, julienned cucumber, scrambled egg, and scallions.

Lately, I haven't had much time to cook.  Usually when this happens, I'll eat instant noodles for dinner, or order out.  Therein lies the beauty of this dish -- it's almost as easy to make as it is to pick up the phone and dial.  Peanut butter noodles (not to be confused with sesame noodles -- more on that in a later post) are just noodles with peanut sauce.  They are best made with Chinese noodles, but spaghetti or angel hair will do just fine; the idea here is that you use what you have in your cabinet.  So the next time you need dinner in a flash, consider whipping up some delicious PB noodles -- it'll only take a second!

Peanut Butter Noodles

8 oz noodles
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Cook noodles according to instructions on package.  When noodles are cooked through, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain, and set aside.  Combine peanut butter, 1/4 cup pasta water, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Stir until smooth; if the sauce is too thick, add more water to thin it out.  Combine noodles and sauce.  Then... eat!