In Brazil, there is an African population and a Japanese population that live really close together, and both grew up on udon. West African peanut sauce is the MOTHER SAUCE: peanut butter, tomato paste, tomatoes, French mirepoix, and our special mirepoix. In the end it’s like a pad thai with more frequent flyer mileage in its account.
There’s nothing like eating noodles and pasta when the sauce is really right. West African peanut sauce provides the perfect creamy coating for Japanese udon noodles.
From the book Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
- •1 tablespoon olive oil
- •1 cup julienned carrots
- •1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
- •2 cups Mother African Peanut Sauce* warmed
- •kosher salt for pasta water
- •1 pound udon noodles
- •1 cup shelled edamame, boiled in salted water for 5 minutes
- •1.2 cup cilantro leaves
- •1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
*See the recipe for Mother Africa Peanut Sauce.
Preparation
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir fry the carrot and the onion for 1 minute. Add the peanut sauce and stir to coat.
In an 8-quart pot, bring water to a boil, salt it, and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and add the noodles directly to the peanut sauce mixture, tossing it to coat.
Plate the noodles and top with the edamame, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves.