Peanuty Coconut Noodles

Peanuty Coconut Noodles

These noodles are genuinely one of those dishes we find ourselves making on repeat. There's something about that peanuty coconut sauce, creamy and rich with a little heat from the sriracha and a pop of lime, that just hits different on a weeknight. It comes together in about 30 minutes and the whole thing feels way more impressive than the effort involved. We love this one for those nights when you want something comforting but also fresh and a bit zingy. Trust us, once you make it you'll be adding it to the regular rotation immediately.

Cook: 30 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Large pan
  • Ramekin
  • Sesame seeds for topping

Ingredients

  • 50g peanut butter
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp Sriracha
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 lime
  • 2 portions of wide rice noodles
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2cm piece of fresh ginger
  • 3 spring onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 heads of pak choi
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • sesame seeds

Method

1

For the sauce

  • In a ramekin combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, coconut milk, sriracha, maple syrup, and juice from the lime. Stir until you have a velvety sauce
2

For the noodles

  • Cook the noodles as per instructions on the packet. Set to one side
3

Prepare the vegetables

  • Peel and finely chop the garlic
  • Peel the ginger and slice in matchsticks
  • Trim the spring onions and finely slice
  • Slice the red pepper and cut the pak choy in half lengthwise
4

Time to stir fry

  • In a large pan over medium to low heat, add the oil. Once hot, gently fry the garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes taking care not to burn it. Increase the heat, add the spring onions and red pepper and cook for another minute. Tip in the cooked noodles and pak choy into the pan then stir through the sauce. Allow the sauce to bubble
5

Plate up and serve

  • Divide the noodles into two bowls, top each bowl with a sprinkle of sesame seeds

Tips & Variations

  • Make it spicier: We both love heat so we often add an extra good squeeze of sriracha to the sauce. Start with the recipe amount and taste as you go, it's easier to add more than to dial it back.
  • Swap the noodles: Rice noodles work brilliantly here for a gluten-free version, and soba noodles give it a slightly nuttier flavour that works really well with the peanut sauce. Henry always keeps a few different types in the cupboard for exactly this reason.
  • Bulk it up: Ian loves throwing in some crispy baked tofu or a handful of edamame to make it a bit more substantial. Just toss the tofu in a bit of soy and bake at 200C for 20 minutes while you get everything else ready.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting the sauce right first and letting all those flavours, peanut butter, coconut milk, soy, sriracha, and lime, meld together before anything hits the heat. What really makes it sing is that balance of salty, sweet, creamy and spicy all at once. We find that stirring the sauce until it's properly velvety, no lumps of peanut butter hiding anywhere, means every strand of noodle gets coated beautifully.