Is it just me, or has August been a little hectic for you too? Sure, this is supposed to be the month when most of Western civilization takes long vacations and work a little bit less, if they work at all. But I’ve found myself thrown into weeks of teaching classes, more recipe testing, dealing with website issues, and working on potential business partnerships. All of this is very exciting (well, except for the web issues, which are a pain in the ___), but frankly, I’m exhausted!
Which is why cold summery noodles have been a life saver this month. I make a big batch just before the days I know I’ll be swamped with work, store it in the fridge, and for the next 2 to 3 days just eat it cold come meal time. My standbys lately have been cold sesame noodles, kale and sesame soba, and zucchini noodles, but this week I made a big batch of peanut and lime soba noodles.
For the sauce, I used creamy peanut butter and tamari, which is a bit richer but less salty than regular soy sauce, as a base. Then I just whisked in a bit of water to thin out the thick peanut butter, then mixed a bit of mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. The lime juice goes in right at the end, and makes the sauce go from good to “wow!”
My only regret was that I didn’t make two batches the first time around…
- ½ cup frozen edamame, shelled, or substitute frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or substitute soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon white rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 8 ounces dried soba noodles
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
- Lime wedges for serving
- Bring a small pot of water to boil. Cook the shelled edamame for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the tamari and water until smooth. Add the sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger and whisk until well-blended.
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook the soba until al dente, or the minimum amount of time according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Toss the cooled noodles with the peanut butter sauce. Add the julienned carrots and edamame, drizzle over with the lime juice, and toss again.
- Transfer to serving dishes and sprinkle the chopped peanuts and scallions on top. Serve the noodles with lime wedges for extra lime flavor.
Lovely photos! I can’t wait to try this.
I make quite a lot of peanut noodles, in fact I just blogged a recipe last month, so I always love to see another take on this theme – endless intepretations.
Noodles with a hint of lime are my favorite. And I’m a big fan of that peanut butter, though it’s not very easy to find.
I made this tonight as a side dish to dinner (main dish was your coca cola wings recipe that we love by the way). The sauce is great and I really liked it. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipes!
Wow! I have all but maybe two of these ingredients. I rarely follow a recipe perfectly because I never have everything I need, but I can manage to put down two extra ingredients on my list!
I have almost all these ingredients. I am going to the store and get the rest so I can make it for dinner tomorrow because this looks crazy good. Thanks for posting! :)
My kids loved these noodles. I left out the mirin because I don’t have any at home but the sauce was still very tasty. They’re begging me to make the noodles again!
Just made these over the weekend and they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you serve this hot or cold?
DJ This is meant to be served room temperature or cold. Hope you enjoy the recipe!