Peanut Butter Noodles

Because I spend so much time out of the house, I've started buying microwaveable meals to take to school. After trying a few varieties, I've settled on two reasonably priced brands from the organic aisle: McDougall's soups and Annie Chun's noodle bowls. My favorite noodle bowl flavor is Peanut Sesame, and this dish, combined with a vague memory of eating peanut butter noodles from a Chinese or Thai restaurant, inspired me to search for my own peanut butter noodle recipe.

I found an extremely well-reviewed recipe on AllRecipes and made it for lunch on Sunday. It was wonderful. I'll post the recipe below, from Amy Barthelemy, and then tell you my variations.

(Serves 4-5 people as a side, 3-4 as an entree.)

Peanut Butter Noodles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons hot chile paste (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces Udon noodles
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.

Crystal's Variations and Notes
This recipe is beautifully constructed, and I tweaked it a little when I shouldn't have. I wanted a robust peanut flavor, so I added an extra tablespoon of peanut butter to the sauce, but once I tasted the finished product, I realized it would have been fine without. I found only one brand of udon noodles at the grocery store, but they were perfect. I briefly considered not buying the chili paste (found in the sauce section of the Asian aisle), but I'm so glad I did. The two optional teaspoons in the recipe add just the right amount of spice, and you could easily kick it up with a few more teaspoons if you were so inclined. The chopped peanuts and diced green onions are an attractive garnish. To make this a complete meal, I sauteed some boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a little oil, soy sauce, ginger, and freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, and sliced and served them on top of the noodles. Heading out to warm some up for lunch instead of settling for Annie Chun's...