Thai Peanut Noodles

This month the International Food Challenge explored The Thai Cuisine. The recipes were suggested by Sangeetha. Now, though the Thai cuisine is very popular, I haven’t tasted much of it. Infact the only Thai food that I have had is the Thai Green Curry and I liked it a lot, but never got around trying it at home. When I saw the recipes, I was quite excited and wanted to try the noodles with a peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was really yum and I ended up licking a little of the sauce that was leftover. The sauce could be a great dip with veg crudities or even be a good sandwich spread. The noodles tasted really good and I am sure these will frequent my kitchen in the future.

The original recipe calls for rice noodles, but I used the regular Chinese noodles.

Original Recipe here

Serves - 3

What you’ll need

1. Noodles, Linguine width – 250 gms
2. Firm Tofu – 1 cup, cubed
3. Carrot – 1 big, cut into thin strips
4. Red Bell Pepper – 1, cut into thin strips
5. Bean Sprouts – 3 cups
6. Soya Sauce – 2 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp

For the peanut Sauce

1. Tamarind – 1 tsp or a marble sized ball
2. Hot water – ¾ cup
3. Peanuts – 1 cup, roasted
4. Garlic cloves – 3
5. Fresh Red Chillies – 3, or chilli powder – ½ tsp
6. Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp
7. Soya Sauce – 1 tbsp
8. Salt to taste

For garnishing

1. Green onions – 2
2. Sesame Seeds – 1 tbsp
3. Fresh basil – a handful

Method

1. In a bowl, marinate the tofu pieces with 2 tbsp of soya sauce. Set aside.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
3. Drain the noodles and rinse well in cold water. Keep aside.
4. Soak the tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes.
5. In a blender or mixie jar, add all the ingredients of the peanut sauce and grind to smooth paste.
6. Heat a wok with a tsp or 2 of oil, toss the tofu and fry till they turn light golden. Transfer to a plate.
7. Next add the carrots and bell pepper and sauté for couple of minutes. Let the vegetables remain crunchy.
8. Transfer to plate.
9. Now add the remaining oil, add the noodles, and the bean sprouts and sauté for a minute.
10. Next add the tofu and the vegetables and half of the prepared sauce.
11. Mix well. Add more sauce if required after tasting.
12. Remove from heat.
13. Garnish with chopped green onions, basil leaves and sesame seeds and serve hot.