Spicy peanut noodles in 15 minutes

Why this works

Peanut butter is too thick to coat noodles on its own. Hot noodle water melts it into a pourable sauce, and the starch in that water helps it cling to every strand instead of sinking to the bottom of the bowl.

The sauce balances four things: salt from the soy, sharpness from the lime, sweetness from the maple syrup and heat from the chili crisp. The garlic and ginger go in raw, chopped and grated fine enough to disappear into the sauce.

Key ingredients

• Peanut butter. Natural peanut butter, made from peanuts and a little salt, gives the deepest roasted flavor. Its oil rises to the top of the jar, so stir it back in before measuring. Regular smooth peanut butter is sweeter, so leave out the maple syrup if using it.
• Noodles. Wide, flat noodles hold a thick sauce best. Flat rice noodles and most dried wheat noodles are egg free, which keeps the dish vegan, but check the packet.
• Chili crisp. Crunchy chili and fried garlic in oil, sold in jars near the soy sauce. Most are vegan, though a few contain shrimp, so read the label. Sriracha gives the heat without the crunch.
• Lime. The zest and the juice both go in. The sharpness keeps the peanut sauce from tasting heavy.

Amounts for 1 to 6 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.

Method

1. 01

   Boil the water

   Bring a large pot of water to the boil over a high heat. Water from a freshly boiled kettle gets there faster.

2. 02

   Stir the peanut butter

   Natural peanut butter separates, with the oil sitting on top. Push the stirrer down to the bottom of the jar and turn it until the color is even all the way down, then spoon the peanut butter into a large bowl.

   Peanut Butter Stirrer
3. 03

   Chop the garlic

   Peel the garlic and roll it in the chopper until finely chopped, two or three cloves at a time. Tip it into the bowl.

   Rolling Garlic Chopper
4. 04

   Grate the ginger and lime

   Grate the ginger into the bowl, then the lime zest. Halve the lime and squeeze in the juice.

   Rasp Zester and Fine Grater
5. 05

   Cook the noodles

   Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender, following the packet timing. Stir them in the first minute so they don't stick together.

6. 06

   Whisk the sauce

   Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil and chili crisp to the bowl. Ladle in a little of the hot noodle water and whisk. It may look split at first; keep whisking and adding water until the sauce is smooth and pours like light cream.

7. 07

   Toss and serve

   Scoop out a mug of the cooking water, then drain the noodles. Tip them into the sauce and toss, adding splashes of the water until every strand is coated and a little sauce pools in the bowl. Top with the green onions, peanuts and more chili crisp.

What to serve it with

Good on its own, or with a fried egg on top. For a bigger spread, serve it beside the salt and pepper chicken or the crispy gochujang tofu.

Storing and reheating

Fridge

Cool quickly, cover and eat within 2 days. The sauce firms up in the cold.

Freezer

Best skipped. The noodles turn soft and the sauce separates once thawed.

Reheat

Add a splash of hot water and warm in a pan or the microwave until piping hot, or eat it cold with a squeeze of lime.

Questions