Noodles in peanut sauce

This weekend I pulled out an old favorite recipe from just after I finished college and tried updating it a little bit. This recipe is a little carb heavy, but it is really easy and very tasty. I believe I copied the original recipe out of one of the early Moosewood cookbooks, but I have changed it a couple of times over the years.

Noodles in peanut sauce

1/3 to ½ cup peanut butter (the all-natural kind works best)
½ cup boiling water
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 small or 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or smashed
1 teaspoon cider vinegar (rice wine vinegar will work here too)
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
a tiny sprinkle of cayenne
6 to 12 chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon green onions
1 lime
Salt to taste

½ box linguine (I think this is eight ounces. I threw out the box) or to be more Asian authentic, you could use soba noodles.

Cook the linguine according to the package directions.

While the linguine is cooking, sauté the garlic in a little bit of oil over medium heat. Add the soy sauce and the cilantro and cook for just a couple of minutes. If you’re worried about the garlic getting too brown, add a teaspoon of water or veggie broth.

Combine the peanut butter and the boiling water. Stir in the garlic/soy sauce/cilantro mixture, and then add the vinegar and green onions. Add the dash of cayenne (cayenne is hot – you don’t need much, just a hint) and stir it in thoroughly. When the linguine is done, drain it and put it in a bowl. Pour the peanut sauce over top and mix in. You can serve these noodles hot or chilled, so at this point, either get ready to serve or put them in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

Once you have the individual servings dished out, sprinkle them with the chopped peanuts, lime juice and salt.