Seasoned with Maharashtrian peanut chutney and soy sauce, Indian Peanutty Noodles is a fusion dish. Nothing wrong with fusion, if you ask me, unless one borrows willy nilly from here and there and hogs credit entirely. The idea for this dish dawned upon me after eating Pad-Thai noodles - if peanuts taste wonderful in vegetable-laden noodles, why not peanut chutney which has flavorful layers of cumin and red chile powder against the creaminess of peanuts.
Peanut chutney is the star of this dish, an advanced ingredient with multiple uses. Mix a few teaspoons of chutney with plain yogurt, add some finely chopped red onions and garnish with cilantro and savor with warm pita for a light lunch. Prepare a dip by combining good quality olive oil with peanut chutney and serve as an appetizer with torn pieces of rustic bread. Top your salad with peanut chutney for a protein punch.
If peanut chutney is already prepared, depending on the vegetables chosen, these noodles will be ready in not more 30 minutes. A delightful weeknight dish that is a meal in itself, it does not require much advance prep and is also a way to deliciously clean out the vegetables in the fridge. Please feel free to substitute vegetables in the recipe with others like mushrooms, onions, snap peas, carrots, green beans and radishes.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
For advanced ingredient - peanut chutney
1 cup unsalted, unroasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Other ingredients
8 ounces udon or soba noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1' pieces
3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons peanut chutney
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
TOOLS
Blender
Knife
Cutting board
Oven to roast peanuts
UTENSILS
Pot to boil noodles
Thick-bottomed pan
Colander
METHOD
For advanced ingredient - peanut chutney
Roast the peanuts in a 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. After 3-4 minutes turn the sheet pan around so that peanuts in the back come to the front. The peanuts should become dark brown, a shade darker than golden brown. Peanuts get roasted easily in a skillet too at medium heat. Just make sure to stir intermittently.
Let the peanuts cool. Blend all the ingredients of peanut chutney into a coarse powder. Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature. It will last for a month.
For noodles
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.
Turn the heat off and drain the hot water by pouring noodles through a colander. Keep some water aside in a small bowl. Place the colander with noodles inside another pot containing cold water in such a way that the noodles are submerged under cold water. This stops the cooking process of noodles due to the latent heat and prevents them from clumping.
Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Add broccoli florets and sauté for 5 minutes. Follow up with red bell peppers and sauté for another 4-5 minutes.
Add half of scallions, peanut chutney and soy sauce and mix well.
Pour the noodles, mix well and make sure all the noodles are coated with peanut soy sauce. If you find the noodles on the drier side, pour the noodle water.
Garnish with remaining scallions and serve hot with hot sauce of your choice.