Thursday, November 5, 2009

Peanut Vermicelli

Peanut Vermicelli

Peanut Vermicelli is a delightful noodle dish bursting with rich, creamy flavors and a touch of spice. Perfect as a quick side dish or a satisfying main meal when paired with cooked chicken, this recipe combines the nutty goodness of peanut butter with aromatic spices, coconut milk, and tender rice vermicelli noodles.

I once worked beside a little-known, but top-notch take-out café called The Five Senses. Many times a week, I'd wander over at noon to see what the chef was cooking in his kitchen. Even though he worked in the kitchen alone, he was able to create delicious food.

The one thing I ordered anytime it was on the lunch menu was this Peanut Vermicelli. I'd buy extra at noon just to take it home to have for supper. One day, I boldly asked him for the recipe, which he scribbled on a scrap piece of paper for me, without measurements for some of the ingredients.

Peanut Vermicelli RecipeAfter some tweaking, I've come up with the quantities that I like. It remains a favorite side dish or even a main dish when I add cooked chicken.

Recipe: Peanut Vermicelli

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 (14-ounce or 398 mL) can coconut milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ tablespoon fresh gingerroot, minced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons soya sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 16-ounce package dried rice vermicelli
Peanuts for garnish

Instructions:

To Prepare and Serve Immediately:
  1. Heat all sauce ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well-blended and warm.
  2. Follow the package directions to cook the dried rice vermicelli.
  3. Combine the cooked vermicelli with the sauce. Garnish with peanuts and serve hot or cold.

To Freeze the Sauce:

  1. Allow the sauce to cool completely. Transfer to a container or food storage bag and freeze. (Cook the vermicelli fresh when ready to serve.)
  2. Recommended freezing time: 6-12 months.

To Prepare After Freezing:

  1. Thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator.
  2. Cook the dried rice vermicelli according to package instructions.
  3. Warm the sauce, mix with the noodles, and serve.




33 comments:

Michele said...

Wow! This looks amazing--I'm going to have to try it.

sarahtriv said...

I love thai noodles with peanuts! Thank you for reminding me about them.

Julie @ Willow Bird Baking said...

I LOVE the flavor of peanuts and noodles. Mmm. Does it almost have a Thai feel?

Definitely bookmarking this! Thanks so much for sharing one of your favorites.

Amanda said...

How fun! Love the scribbled recipe :) Those are often the best kind :)

Ria Mathew said...

Yummm!

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Both ingredients that I adore: peanut and vermicelli but incredibly I've never tasted all together!

Shari a wonderful recipe that I need to try soon...especially after a strong training when I need lot of delicious pasta :)

Cheers!

Gera

lisa is cooking said...

That's so great that he gave you the recipe! Sounds delicious and quick to prepare too.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

this looks really good... gonna give this a try thanks for the post

Hilary said...

These look soooo good. Definitely one to bookmark for me - thanks!

Malak said...

I like the sound of this one! Thanks for doing all the tweaking for us! I am definitely trying it. Love the reflection of the noodles in the spoon!

Muse in the Kitchen said...

This looks so good! We really like vermicelli around here, and a peanut sauce sounds delicious with it. ~ Belle

Jillian said...

that looks amazing! I will have to try this one for sure.

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious!

Mel said...

I miss Five Senses - delicious food, if you could get past all the stress. I'll have to try this recipe!

candy buffets said...

mmmmmmm, now i'm really hungry!!

Lo said...

oooh. This looks like a dish I'd really enjoy.

Great story. Bet this is the perfect recipe for making when one is feeling "in the weeds"... quick, easy and delicious! :)

thecoffeesnob said...

I've never had peanuts with noodles but this sounds delicious!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

mmm-yum! thanks for passing the recipe along!

Anonymous said...

Yummmmm!! I love the way this sounds! It sounds Thai-ish to me too. Coconut milk, peanuts, rice noodles...it almost sounds like pad thai! Oh, I'm afraid you've tickled the Thai button...oh my. Got to have Tom Kha Gai! LOL!

pigpigscorner said...

I am making this SOON!

Coffee and Vanilla said...

Shari,
That is great recipe. Love nuts in my pasta :)

Birmingham Catering said...

looks yummy! thanks for sharing..

Lynda said...

That is a great picture. It looks very tasty. It reminds me of eating vermicelli noodles at a beach side restaurant when I was in Thailand.

angela@spinachtiger said...

Hi Shari
I love the idea of this dish and one I most surely want to make. It reminds me of pad thai in a sense, and that is doug's favorite.

forumsglobe said...

i like his food.....

thanks

Jake said...

I love thai noodles and the peanuts with look good!

Little Rock Catering said...

Sounds yummy! I really loved peanuts...

college degree online said...

this one looks delicious
gonna give it a try soon
thanks for sharing this to everyone/...

Lea @ LittleRockWeddings said...

Peanut with thai noodles? This sounds yummy hah...
Arkansas Wedding

LyB said...

That would be one of my favorite dishes too! This is going on my "make now!" list. Thanks for sharing the recipe, with all the ingredients and quantities. ;)

Anonymous said...

I made this for dinner for my parents tonight and it was a big hit! My dad called it "peanut curry sauce" which I think is the best way to describe it. It's so creamy and naturally sweet, it's perfect. I did add a little hot sauce to it, since my family loves spicy food, but other than that it's perfect as is: no need to tweak this one. Fabulous!

20 LA Wannabe said...

do you use natural peanut butter or regular?

Shari@Whisk: a food blog said...

I use regular, but I'm sure natural would be good too. If you like the taste of natural, that would work too.

~Shari