Moo's Peanut Butter and Pepper Sauce

There's something about a good peanut butter sauce. This is a palate pleaser...Asian style!

2 T peanut butter
3 T warm water
2 T soy sauce
1 T cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T scallions, finely chopped

Combine peanut butter with warm water to make a smooth, thin sauce. Then combine the remaining ingredients except the garlic and scallion into a very smooth dressing. Add garlic and scallion just before serving.

Moo's Hot and Spicy Peanut Sauce

As I've said before, I love Asian peanut sauce. Just drizzle a little on pasta, dumplings or wonton, it's always a Palate Pleaser for me. Knowing my taste for peanut sauce, Moo was always coming up with new versions. This recipe has a little more snap to it. I think you'll like it.

3 Tbls peanut butter, creamy style
5 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil (your choice)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbls. sugar
2 tsps. Sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh garlic, pressed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Mix peanut butter and olive oil until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth. Cover. You can make ahead and chill but to bring out the flavor and make it easy to drizzle or dip let it warm to room temperature before using.

Like I said, try it with Chinese dumplings, won ton or noodles.

Chinese Noodle Salad w/Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love this salad. In my book, it's a real palate pleaser. Moo knew I liked anything with Asian peanut sauce so she came up with this one for me. Of course, Thai cooking uses a lot of peanut sauce...Chinese less, which makes this a bit more unusual. If you're an Asian peanut sauce fan, you have to try this.

Salad
1 package (8 oz) fine egg noodles
2 t. vegetable oil
1 bunch broccoli (c. 1 ½ lb) or 2 packages (10 oz each) of frozen broccoli spears, thawed
2 c. (½ lb) roast pork, cut into thin strips
4 c. (8 oz) fresh bean sprouts
2 c. shredded Chinese cabbage (iceberg lettuce can do in a pinch)
1 c. slivered radishes

Sauce
¼ c. creamy peanut butter
¼ c. warm water
¼ c. chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ c. soy sauce
¼ c. peanut oil (vegetable oil okay)
2 T wine vinegar
4 T sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. cayenne pepper

Cook egg noodles. Drain, rinse, drain again. Place in bowl, toss with 2 t. oil. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Trim enough stalk from broccoli so you have about 2” of flowerettes and stalk remaining. In saucepan heat, 1 quart of water to boiling. Add broccoli and return to boil. Cook 3 minutes, drain and cool under cold water. Cover and refrigerate. (NOTE: If using frozen broccoli, thaw, drain, don’t cook.) Prepare remaining salad ingredients and wrap each separately for the moment.

Now for the sauce. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and water until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Pour in a small bowl and store at room temperature.

To serve, add broccoli, roast pork, sprouts, Chinese cabbage and radishes to noodles. Add sauce and toss lightly.