a peek inside the fishbowl

… and make something spicy.

I had a sudden craving for something spicy and peanutty. The weather was cold and gloomy. I was still under the weather and had no car available to go pick up some Pho – or anything else for that matter. What could I make with the stuff I had in the fridge?

Aha.

I made the following recipe, adapted from here. 

Take:

Handful of uncooked soba noodles [commonly available in the grocery store, but these were green ones, sent to me by Zhenia and Ptichka… the only people who have ever sent me pasta by mail. Do I have cool friends or what?] 
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp organic/sugar free peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tsp ginger root, fresh, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. [HA – the directions were in Japanese. I took a wild guess it would take about 5 minutes until they were al dente. I was right.]
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce; set aside.
3. Heat a large, nonstick skillet coated with olive oil cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add peppers, ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth mixture and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to noodles and toss to combine. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

I would like to say that at this point the stuff in the pan looked a little bit too watery for my liking. I let it boil in the skillet for a few extra minutes before I poured it in the noodles.

It was very good. But next time I will add a few pea pods and maybe some spouts, chopped green onion, and then sprinkle the whole caboodle with chopped peanuts.