I thought I had escaped the joy of 21sts but, before I knew it, it was my own brother’s turn. He decided to have it at the local bowls club and invite 100 of his closest friends. Of course it went without saying I was volunteered to the catering post. Mum was a little ambitious on the menu side of things. Pulled pork sliders, fish sliders, fajita bowls, bean bowls and noodle boxes were all to be dished up into tiny individual serves.
The noodle boxes were a last-minute addition to the line-up, but since they are so easy to make I didn’t grumble too much. It seriously takes about 15 minutes to whip up.
Serve this hot or cold; it will please crowds large and small for sure. This is perfectly just in the nick of time for the start of barbecue season!
Ingredients
Serves 6 as a hearty, carb-laden salad side
- 1 packet of egg noodles (6 balls of noodles)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 stalks of spring onion, chopped
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chilli-garlic sauce
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- 2 large carrots, shredded
- 1 capsicum, diced
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- ¼ cup crispy fried shallots (available at good Asian supermarkets)
Method
- Cook the noodles in salted boiling water for 3–5 minutes (or as stated on the packet) until al dente. Drain and toss with sesame oil. Put to one side.
- In a sauce pan, heat the sesame oil and sauté the garlic, ginger and the white bits of the spring onion until softened. Add in the peanut butter, honey, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and chilli-garlic sauce, and simmer until it is well mixed together and bubbling. Toss the noodles through this sauce, along with the mung bean sprouts, carrots and capsicum. Garnish with the peanuts, green bits of the spring onion and the crispy shallots.
- Enjoy either hot or cold!