Tasty Tuesday: Cold Peanut Noodles with Shrimp

One of my favorite summer Chinese dishes is "liang mian" which means "cold noodles".  Here's a delicious cold noodle recipe that's become a family favorite.

Ingredients


1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

12 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles (if you can't find these Japanese oudone noodles work well)

1 cup matchstick-cut carrots

8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1 1/2 cups julienne-cut red bell pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided

1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts



Preparation

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Cook noodles in boiling water 1 minute. Add carrots and shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Rinse noodle mixture under cold water; drain. Add noodle mixture, bell pepper, and 1/4 cup onions to peanut butter mixture, tossing to combine. Add enough of reserved cooking liquid to keep sauce creamy. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup onions and peanuts.