Lunchbox Series - Peanut Sesame Noodles

I love technology. I truly do. I love the fact that lunchbox and recipe ideas are now literally at my fingertips. Yes, I’m officially an app junkie.

Last night, I was debating what to pack for Nikhil’s lunchbox. A quick scan of the crisper revealed half a head of broccoli, a quarter of a green bell pepper, some baby carrots, and a few scallions. Like most app junkies, I’ve downloaded far more apps on my iPad and iPhone than I actually use. Many of them were installed simply because I enjoy reading “top 10 best apps” lists and downloading things just because I can.

I’d read a lot about the Epicurious app but hadn’t really put it to the test. So I did, and it promptly returned 36 noodle recipes based on the ingredients I entered. It also helped that Nikhil joined the search and insisted on adding noodles to the list. Honestly, half the battle is getting your child to choose what they want for lunch. Did I really need an app for that? Of course I did.

We picked the first recipe that caught our attention: Peanut Sesame Noodles. It called for a few additional pantry ingredients, all of which I thankfully had on hand. I chopped the vegetables the night before, then cooked the noodles and mixed the sauce the next morning. Instead of serving it cold as suggested, I gently heated the sauce for about 1–2 minutes (no more), then garnished generously with cilantro.

Nikhil loved it. I already knew that because he couldn’t stop eating it in the morning and even wanted it for breakfast. Hopefully, some of it actually made it to lunchtime.

Ingredients

For the Peanut Dressing

• Smooth peanut butter – 1/2 cup
• Soy sauce – 1/4 cup
• Warm water – 1/3 cup
• Fresh ginger, peeled and chopped – 2 tbsp
• Garlic – 1 medium clove, chopped
• Rice wine vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Asian sesame oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
  (I used regular sesame oil from an Indian store, but Asian sesame oil does add a distinct flavor)
• Honey – 2 tsp
• Dried hot red pepper flakes – 1 tsp
• Sambal sauce or any red chili sauce – 1 tsp
  (Not in the original recipe; optional if you prefer less heat)

For the Noodles

• Dried linguine fini or Hakka noodles – 3/4 lb
  (I used Hakka instant noodles)
• Scallions, thinly sliced – 4
• Green bell pepper, cut into thin strips – 1
  (Red or yellow bell pepper works just as well)
• Carrots, grated or julienned – 2 tbsp
• Broccoli florets – 1/2 cup

Method

Make the Dressing

Purée all the dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
Alternatively, if you’d rather not pull out a blender during morning chaos, beat the peanut butter until smooth, add the remaining ingredients, and mix well using a fork or spatula.

Prepare the Noodles

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but al dente. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok. When hot, add the scallions, bell pepper, carrots, and broccoli. Toss in the hot oil for about 1 minute.

Add the peanut sauce and mix for another 1–2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and toss well until everything is evenly coated.

Cool slightly and serve, or pack into a lunchbox.

I packed these noodles for Nikhil with a simple salad on the side — romaine, apples, pecans, and kidney beans, with raspberry vinaigrette packed separately.

Submitting this recipe to Healthy Lunchbox for Srivalli’s Kids’ Event.