Brown Rice Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Recipes — By sowj on September 24, 2011 10:14 pm

The obsession with peanut sauce continues. This dish is basically Pad Thai. However, I can’t really call my dish traditional Pad Thai as I’ve made it up. I tend to redesign recipes based on my favorite dishes simply because I believe that experimentation empowers. I want to encourage you to experiment because you’ll discover your own palette, your own intuitions and your own style through this process. I’m still teaching myself and learning as much as I can, and I absolutely love it.

Tonight I made this dish for my family. We were all very hungry by the time I started cooking, and luckily this dish is simple, fast and satisfying for a large group.

INGREDIENTS

2 boxes Brown Rice Noodle (I was really impressed with Annie Chun’s noodles.)
1 bunch or head of Broccoli
4-6 oz Mung Bean Sprouts
1 bunch Scallions, green part, chopped
1 small bunch Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) – OPTIONAL
Crushed Peanuts for garnish

Peanut Sauce

1 bunch Scallions, white part
4-8 cloves Garlic
1/8 cup Rice Vinegar
3-4 tbsp creamy Peanut Butter
3-6 whole, dried Red Chili Peppers – OPTIONAL
1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp – OPTIONAL
Salt to taste
Water to taste

PREPARATION

First start your sauce. Chop the white/light green portion of the scallions and mince the garlic. Saute both on medium heat with a tsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Once the scallions are tender, add the rice vinegar, peanut butter, chilis, tamarind pulp and salt to taste with enough water to make your sauce. (You can crush or break the red chilis for added heat.) Stir the sauce until the peanut butter has mixed evenly and simmer on medium low. Taste your sauce, adding whatever flavor you feel might be lacking. The more you simmer, the thicker the sauce will become, however, you can always add water to keep it thinner if you prefer.

Steam the broccoli until slightly tender, maintaing its bright green color.

Cook your brown rice pasta in a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring consistently to prevent sticking. Immediately drain and wash the noodles with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Add the broccoli, peanut sauce, mung bean sprouts and scallions to the noodles and mix. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and crushed peanuts. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!!