Monday, November 26, 2007

Udon noodles with tofu peanut sauce

Udon noodles with tofu peanut sauce

A very simple and delicious oriental noodle dish. Interestingly enough here in Brazil peanut butter is virtually unknown. Difficult to believe for a kid that grew up with PBJ sandwiches! No loss to have to make your own, homemade is always better.

1/2 cup of chicken broth (this is one of the very few places that bullion works if you do not have home made stock)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
3 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
1 teaspoon guilin chili sauce
4 ounces of pressed tofu cut into 1/4" sticks
4 green onions, green tops only chopped fine for garnish
10 ounces Udon noodles

cook the pasta
put all the other ingredients but the green onions in a small sauce pan and
simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, mix and garnish with green onions
3- 4 servings depending on the hunger factor
Chef's notes- I am totally amazed, every time i make this by how good it is. Chunky peanut butter works well also. Most any type of pasta works, think linguine, and most any type of hot sauce, but some type oriental chili paste is best. I use pressed tofu in this dish. it is a tofu with most of the water compressed out making it very firm. You can find it at oriental markets. The softer more moist supermarket tofu can be used but cut it into cubes and add to the sauce in the last minute and stir gently, use twice the amount .
Is it getting hungry in here or is it just me!?


3 comments:

Patricia Scarpin said...

Don, I grew up eating peanut butter here in Sao Paulo. Ask the people you know about "Amendocrem" and I'm sure they will remember it!

Anonymous said...

Maybe there isn't peanut butter in Rio (I would die!), but sesame paste can also add an interesting flavor to this dish. It's available in a can in the states. Or, if not the paste, I like a few drops of Sesame oil with chilis to add piquancy.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous! Fabulous! Fabulous!
JB