Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork and Cucumber
This is one of my favorite recipes to make when I have a jar of empty peanut butter in my pantry—obviously you don’t need to wait for that as you could easily just spoon some into a mixing bowl to make the sauce, but there’s something so satisfying about using the empty jar to shake up the sauce and use every last bit of peanut butter (don’t tell Ender I’ve been doing this, he usually gets to go to town on the empty jars as a treat).
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut butter (or whatever is left in an empty PB jar)
3-4 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
A splash of rice vinegar
Remaining ingredients:
1/2 pound of ground pork (optional—you could also use shrimp, tofu, chicken, or just omit the protein entirely)
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil (I prefer avocado or vegetable oil for this)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
A drizzle of sriracha or sambal oelek (optional)
A package of noodles, cooked according to package instructions (maybe a minute or two less so you can finish cooking in the pan with sauce)
Half of a large cucumber, diced
Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions:
In a large skillet, add half of the green onions and garlic and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add ground pork and sauté until browned, about 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and some of the hot sauce if you are using it.
While the pork cooks, prepare your noodles according to package instructions.
In a small bowl, combine ingredients for sauce and whisk until smooth.
Remove pork from pan and add the sauce. Transfer noodles to the pan and toss gently to combine.
To serve, top noodles with pork, diced cucumber, remaining green onion, and a wedge of lime.
Additional toppings that would be delicious are toasted peanuts, crispy shallots, and cilantro—enjoy!