Someone asked me not too long ago about where I get my ideas for my recipes. It’s a difficult question to answer since I am CONSTANTLY looking at food. I read cookbooks like novels, I peruse magazines from near and far, and of course, I read blogs and scour social media. These Crunchy Cold Peanut Noodles is not one of those recipes.
Recently a dear friend succumbed at last to a lifetime of life threatening illnesses. I met her in the 6th grade and I will never forget my first impression of her. She was a petite thing with goofy hair, freckles and a quick smile. She had an openness about her which made her very approachable. I was new to the school and the small town, and she seemed to be pals with everyone. I mean EVERYONE. I thought to myself, “I like this girl!” Besides, she had a cat named Pizza.
We became friends, as we all do in small towns. Like it or not, we all get to know each other and become close by knowing and understanding each other on more complex levels. I honestly think this is one of the great gifts of small towns. As we grew into our High School years Joann was diagnosed with Kidney disease. It was a bummer, and overwhelming, and it never stopped Joann, and in some ways it solidified our friendship.
Her diagnosis set me off on a lifelong career of learning about health and wellness. We would also have long chats about spirituality and the “why’s” of it all. I helped her to remember to take her fist fulls of pills on time, and we got into lots of teenage “trouble”. We ran the roads in her pale blue VW Beetle. When it came to school we did all the things, cheerleading, the school play, and we worked as editors on the yearbook with another pal Amie. It was a great lesson in “life is short, do the things”. One of our most favorite, though rare things to do was to go shopping at Macy’s cosmetic counters in the city,
They told us then that she might not see 30, which was a heavy load to bear for a teen. With grace and modern medicine she lived to see past 60, but not without many struggles. Multiple transplants, dialysis, and an armload of counter ailments. The last being cancer, which ultimately just wore her cute pixie of a body right out.
So what does this have to do with Cold Peanut Noodles? Well, it has to do with another vehicle I use for recipe inspiration- nostalgia. The small town I grew up in is about 100 miles from NYC in farm and fishing country. Chinese food was not unheard of, but a bit of a novelty growing up. On those intrepid trips when we braved the 3 hour ride on the Long Island Railroad into Penn Station, finding a cheap place to eat for simple country girls was a challenge. So often it was Chinese food.
My failings were the pork dumplings and these Cold Peanut Noodles. Not only were they just so flavor packed, and a fine mix of textures and temperatures- it was exotic- and I was so cool for eating them.
That was also Joann and I. We thought we were pretty damn grown up for navigating those cosmetic counters (oh all that Coal eyeliner I bought like a freak!), and for being so brazen and mature. The truth is we were a couple of wide eyed silly girls with nothing but life to live. They were great times.
So it’s nostalgia that made me make this recipe. It’s one of the great things about food that I love so much, how it brings people together and solidifies memories. It is the sharing of food, and love, that makes me do what I do.
Rest in Peace dear friend. I will catch you on the other side. I can’t wait to see what antic we will get up to then, and meet all the new friends you are undoubtedly making.
Place your cucumber in a small bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Give that a toss and set aside for a few minutes to draw out some of the water. Set a pot of water on to boil and cook your noodles until tender. Drain, rinse and set aside to cool and dry. In a blender combine the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, maple syrup, chili crisp, garlic and ginger. Blitz until smooth. Set aside. Rinse the cucumbers and then pat dry. Place your noodle into a large bowl and pour over half the dressing. Give that a good toss. Add the now dry cucumbers, the remaining dressing, the scallions and the cilantro. Gently toss that together. Plate the noodles onto a platter then scatter the peanuts over the top.
Ingredients
Instructions