This Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles Recipe has been developed by the wonderful Chloë founder of nibs etc. She and I met three years ago when we were working side by side on our stalls at the world famous Borough Market. Over to Chloë…

nibs etc. makes delicious and nourishing, sustainable snacks from ingredients that normally get thrown away, to fight food waste. We research our ingredients, our packaging, our supply chain, our recipes, to make sure they are as positively impactful on the planet, as possible, so that you don’t have to. You know, by the time it comes to choosing, your decision is easy because we’ve already done the work for you.

The same holds true for every recipe we create and IGTV #ThinkBeforeYouToss video we share. It’s about empowering you as individuals, with actionable tools to reduce food waste in and around your home. Throughout lockdown we have been hoping to arm you with an arsenal of reliable, adaptable, and or versatile tips and tricks to upcycle your leftovers and create minimal to zero food waste.

And sometimes, this is as simple as an umami-packed sauce, such as this, Sesame Peanut Sauce noodle dish. Discovered when I was living in China with my family. IF ONLY I’D KNOWN HOW SIMPLE IT WAS TO MAKE.

No complicated pantry/store-cupboard items required. Traditionally, it is eaten with noodles, cold ones typically. Which is why this is brilliant for warmer weather. The beauty of it is you could have it with hot food, too; alongside a hot pot, with meat or fish [think chicken satay style] or with vegetables, carbs… the possibilities are endless.

This recipe should probably serve 2. Or just 1, for someone who, like me, could quite literally bathe in it.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp ButterNut of London Peanut Butter [smooth or crunchy, whichever you prefer, I’ll try not to pass judgement…].
• 1 tbsp Hot Water/Broth
• ½ tbsp White Wine/Rice Vinegar
• ½ tbsp Sesame Paste/Tahini
• 1 clove minced Garlic
• 1 inch piece minced Ginger
• ½ tsp Sugar [white, brown, caster, granulated sugar]

Optional add ins:

Chilli [chopped, fresh, dry, fermented, Chinese Chilli Paste would be most traditional].

For the noodles dish

• 2 portions of Noodles [as indicated on the packet]
• 1x 3 inch piece of Cucumber [cut into matchsticks]
• 1-2 Spring Onions [green AND white part - finely chopped. You can leave an inch with the root end of it and sprout in water to try to #GrowYourOwn spring onion back].

Optional add ins:

• Bean sprouts
• Carrot [cut into matchsticks like cucumber]
• Green Beans [blanched]
• Shredded Poached Chicken
• Egg [fried, poached, but preferably beaten, cooked on low heat like a crepe, then folded and thinly sliced into tagliatelle-like ribbons].

Method

For the noodles, cook as per the packet instructions. If having them cold, then proceed to blanche - plunge for a few seconds into cold water to stop cooking and cool down immediately. Set aside in a sieve to dry.

Place all the ingredients - make sure garlic and ginger are well minced - into a container that you will be able to seal well, and shake. I’d recommend a jar [you could even use your peanut butter jar, if it is almost empty, to make sure not a single drop of it is going to waste].

To serve, arrange noodles in the centre of your dish, with condiments positioned in neat piles around the rim of your serving bowl. Cover with Sesame Peanut Sauce. THAT’S IT.

Store in the fridge for up to a week.