I remember I loved those Chinese takeout noodles that were just sticky with peanut butter. There was something just so good about those noodles…

Since becoming a pseudo adult (I mean really, I just feel like adult sounds so… blah! and I’m not blah!), I’ve been cooking more and more. Plus, now I have healthy neurosis about germs and dirty hands, and then my weird love affair with bleaching things… but besides the point. And, I live in Baltimore. KFC and McDonald’s takes 20 minutes, and it’s already made!! So I cook for myself. A lot of people say that cooking for one is sad… is it? I would rather make my food the way I want it and not have to consider anyone else. (I had a boyfriend who used to liberally salt and pepper anything I made before even taking a single bite… and that pissed me off.)

This recipe is just enough for one serving of noodles, with just a bit of sauce to spare for dipping veggies in or to refrigerate until the next time you need some quick noodles. These noodles take me 20 minutes from when I put the water up to when I’m done eating. Super quick!

Peanut Sesame Noodles (liberally adapted from New York Times, April 2007)

• 1 serving of noodles (I normally use buckwheat soba noodles, but angel hair, egg noodles, or whatever fits your fancy would be fine too)
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar (I have used white vinegar and it tastes just fine)
• 1 tablespoon of sesame paste (I used tahini)
• 1 tablespoon of chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 pinch of ginger (if you have fresh ginger, just a quick swipe on a microplane should do it)
• 1 teaspoon of chili paste (I have the Korea kind – go-chu-jjang. But you can omit this, or substitute red pepper flakes for the spice)
• Sliced vegetables and a bit of salad (I use cucumber, tomato and a bit of arugula)

1. Boil a pot of water and add the noodles. In the mean time – make the sauce
2. In a small, microwave-proof bowl stir all of the ingredients (minus the veggies) together.
3. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until smooth
4. Once the noodles are cooked – drain immediately and toss with 3 tablespoons of the sauce (or you get the amount of sauce you want on the noodles).
5. Add veggies and eat!

(Note: These noodles do not taste good cold, so you are best making just enough for your meal. Save the sauce in the fridge for next time, just microwave for 30 seconds before tossing with the fresh noodles)