Easiest Creamy Peanut Noodles
Savory, spicy, slightly sweet, and super creamy, these Peanut Noodles are ideal for busy weeknight dinners. Plant-based, made in 15 minutes with pantry ingredients, they are the most satisfying dish after a long day of work, or whenever you need a comforting meal.
Servings: 2
Calories: 665kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- ⅓ cup white and green parts thinly chopped (plus more green part to serve)
- 2 medium cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons mirin (optional)
- ¼ cup peanut butter (ideally with no sugar or salt added)
- 14 ounces fresh or frozen udon noodles
- ½ cup udon cooking water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
To serve
- cilantro
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil.
Prepare the peanut sauce.
- In a skillet or wok, heat the chili crisp over medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped green onion and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
- Add the grated garlic and cook until fragrant but not golden, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the soy sauce, maple syrup, mirin, and peanut butter. Give the sauce a good mix and simmer over low heat for one minute.
Assemble the dish.
- Cook the udon al dente (usually one or two minutes less than what is written on the package instructions).
- Transfer the noodles directly to the sauce, along with ½ cup of cooking water and toasted sesame oil. Cook for 1 minute, until the sauce is glossy and the noodles start to absorb the sauce.
- Immediately serve the peanut noodles in shallow bowls. Top with green onion, toasted sesame seeds, and optional cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- Heat 🔥 - I recommend tasting the spiciness of your chili crisp (as it varies from brand to brand). Adjust the quantity of chili crisp according to your taste.
- Kitchen tongs are a useful tool for this recipe. They help loosen the noodles by swooshing them around in the pot and make it easy to transfer the cooked noodles to the sauce.
- Do not overcook the noodles. I recommend cooking the udon noodles al dente to finish cooking the noodles in the sauce. This way, the udon will start absorbing the sauce, making the dish rich and flavorful.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding more or less cooking water.
- Mirin adds complexity and a nice tang to the sauce. Even though it is optional, I recommend getting your hands on it if you can. It makes a difference!
Nutrition
Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 1622mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg