Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Everyone loves Chinese noodles, with their spicy, pungent sauces. This particular sauce is base on ground peanuts brightened with ginger, lots of garlic, cilantro, and chili.  It's wonderful on cold Chinese noodles and perfect with grilled foods.  Because the sauce tends to thicken as it sits, it's best tossed with the noodles just before serving.

The peanut sauce is very useful to have on hand. Try it spread on grilled or fried tofu, with grilled eggplant or as a dipping sauce for cubes of fresh tofu or sticks of cucumber or jicama.  Tossed with a bowl of rice and topped with some chopped roasted peanuts, scallions, and cilantro, you have a more or less instant, one-bowl meal.  Covered and refrigerated, it will keep for months.

Although I love using fresh Chinese egg noodles for this salad, they aren't always avalable.  However, I've had consistently good luck using dried linguine and sphagettini, as well as Japanese somen.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Salt
1 pound Chinese egg noodles or linguine
2 Tbsp. roasted peanut oil or dark sesame oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
6 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1+1/2 - pound package silken-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)
Chopped roasted peanuts or toasted black sesame seeds
Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Have a colander ready in the sink.  When the water boils, add salt to taste and the noodles. Cook until the noodles are just done, about 3 minutes.  Immediately dump them into the colander and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water; then toss the noodles with the oil, cilantro, scallions, and tofu. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use;  then toss with the peanut sauce.  Garnish with the roasted peanuts or sesame seeds and fresh cilantro sprigs.


If you prefer to have the noodles hot, shake off the excess water when they're finished cooking, but don't rinse them. Warm the sauce over a double boiler and toss it with the noodles.


THE PEANUT SAUCE

Using commercially prepared peanut butter instead of frying and grinding peanuts shortens the number of steps, but be sure to use a pure, unsweetened variety, usually found in natural foods stores. Arrowhead Mills makes a good peanut butter, and Loriva makes an excellent blend of peanut and sesame butter.  Makes approximately 2 cups

6 large garlic cloves
1 large bunch of cilantro, leaves and upper stems only
l+l/2-ounce piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot chili oil
1/2 cup peanut butter or sesame-peanut butter
1/2 to 2/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or to taste
hot water, if necessary

Put the garlic, cilantro, and ginger in the work bowl of a food processor and work until they are finely chopped. Add the oils, peanut butter, 1/2 cup soy sauce, and sugar; process again until well combined with the seasonings. Stop and scrape
down the sides once or twice. Add the vinegar and season to taste with the additional soy sauce, if necessary. If the sauce is thicker than you wish, thin it with hot water. Store the sauce in an airtight jar and keep it refrigerated. Thin it again with hot water as needed before using. This sauce will keep for months.