You know the Buzzfeed food videos that everyone’s obsessed with? I, too, follow them religiously. They make cooking look so fun and easy! And OMG there is so much cheese involved. They triple cheese everything!

While they make my tummy rumble in ecstasy, my blood vessels are shuttering with fear of all that cholesterol.  

But there was this one recipe that looked surprisingly clean and simple and it involved noodles. So I decided to try it and see how it turns out in real life.

In addition, recently, I have become really obsessed with Thai flavors. I’ve been improvising many of my dishes with Thai touches; sprinkling of sesame seeds, adding in peanuts, a teaspoon of sesame oil, lemon grass…as you do.

Watching this Peanut Noodle Pasta Salad clip on Buzzfeed’s page, I found I had all the ingredients at home except one. The mighty Sriracha!!

So, I bought it. (of course)

Perfect excuse to buy Sriracha, which I’ve been meaning to since foreverrr.

(However, I have no idea where to use it next. Recommendations are welcomed, please leave them in the comment box below.) 🙂

Now this pasta salad. It sure lived up to its name.

A simple clean recipe, but big on flavors.

The perfect balance of spiciness, tanginess and saltiness.

The vibrant mix of fresh vegetables paired with the saltiness of the peanut butter and the soya sauce, the sweetness from the brown sugar, and the heat from the sesame oil and the acclaimed Sriracha; all worked out so well.

If you’re, in this dreaded cold, coveting summer like me, then this is the recipe to make >> warm, satisfying, and so summery.

I wasn’t planning on making a post out of it. But so many of you asked me to share its recipe after I shared pictures of it on Snapchat (follow me @noora559).

 

Now, I obviously tweaked the original recipe according to my taste.

• Lessened the peanut butter

• Skipped the yellow and red bell pepper

• Added in a squeeze of lemon juice

• Used egg noodles instead of soba

I’d use something else instead of the egg noodles the next time, because what with all the crunchiness from the peanuts and vegetables, the egg noodles were too soft. Something with a bit more structure, a bite to it, would be better off, like the original soba in the recipe.

 

You can also add chicken to this salad, or just leave it pure vegetarian like I did.

Either way, it’s finger lickin’ good. You’ll be coming back for more :’)

Cold Sesame Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce  Serves: 6-8 Ingredients: 3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup vinegar 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 2 Tbsp. Sriracha 1/4 cup water 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 Box noodles (any pasta will do) 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced into strips 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced into strips 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips 1/2 cup green onion, chopped 1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped Directions: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to instructions on the box. Drain and run cooked pasta under cold water to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, water, minced ginger, minced garlic, and brown sugar. Combine pasta with sliced vegetables. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix well. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving. Garnish with chopped coriander and peanuts. Recipe source: Buzzfeed