There are a number of steps and ingredients in this recipe, but as Amy mentioned, it’s so worth it. This is one of those times when mise en place is quite helpful. Gather and prep your ingredients before you start. Take your time. Have fun.

I’ve made quite a few modifications to the original recipe, namely adding shrimp to make it a meal, and substituting my go-to ingredients where appropriate. And my process, although not as prescriptive as the original, is methodical.

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Rice Noodles with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Peanut Sauce

Author: melinmac

Ingredients

Noodle Salad

• 1 pound cooked shrimp
• 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 pound asparagus (pencil thin is preferable)
• 1/2 cup minced scallions
• 1/4 pound rice noodles
• 1 t olive oil

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 T tamari
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T dry white wine
• 1 T sugar
• 2 t sriracha
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 knob fresh ginger
• 1 large garlic clove

Instructions

Noodle Salad

• Prep the vegetables – Add the shredded lettuce and the bean sprouts to a large bowl. Slice the red pepper into thin strips and cut the strips into lengths of about an inch and a half long. Add the red pepper to the bowl. Lightly salt the shiitakes and sweat them in a dry pan until softened. Add the shiitakes to the bowl. Snap the tough ends off of the asparagus spears and cut them on a sharp diagonal into one inch pieces. Blanch the asparagus in boiling, salted water, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and lock in that beautiful bright green color. Drain and pat dry, then add to the bowl. Mince the scallions and add them to the bowl.
• Cook the noodles – Cook the noodles in rapidly boiling salted water until they're just cooked and still firm. This took just a couple of minutes for me but you should watch this process carefully so that you don't accidentally over-cook the noodles. Pour into a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain thoroughly and toss with a teaspoon of oil to prevent sticking.

Peanut Sauce

• Prep the ingredients and whisk together – Heat the stock in the microwave then add the peanut butter immediately. You want the hot stock to loosen the peanut butter so that it can easily be mixed in. Stir until smooth. Rough chop the garlic and ginger and whir in a mini food processor to mince. Add the garlic, ginger, and remaining ingredients to the peanut sauce, and whisk to combine.
  

Assemble (and serve!)

• Toss the salad – Add the noodles to the large bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine. Pour in the peanut sauce and mix again. This can be prepared a couple of hours in advance.
  
• Top with the shrimp – Top with the cooked shrimp before serving.
  

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Pacific Flavors by Hugh Carpenter & Teri Sandison, 1992 paperback version, page 61.  Amy told me about this cookbook, so I bought a used copy from Thrift Books.  Pacific Flavors has beautiful pictures with colorful close-up shots of the dishes and lots of white space on the recipe pages, which gives it a fresh and modern feeling.

I realized as I was preparing this dish most recently, that it’s really just an elaborate grain bowl – noodles, veg, protein and a lovely sauce. Noodles with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Peanut Sauce – Enjoy!