Asian noodles in peanut sauce

I really enjoy warm noodles soaking in a bowl of flavor packed sauce. This is a one-pot week-night dinner recipe that is full of nutrition and warmth. In addition to a medley of vegetables, I have used lentils and mushrooms to make this a hearty dish. The peanut sauce is the winner here. It is so flavorful and so easy to make! You can use it like a sauce or dilute it to achieve a broth like consistency and make this into a delicious noodle soup. I have used egg noodles here but feel free to use any noodles of your choice. Try this recipe out and let me know how you like it in the comments below.

Serves: 4 | Prep. time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. canola oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 small bell pepper, diced

• 1 carrot, thinly sliced

• 4 green onions, sliced (whites and greens)

• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced

• 6 baby Portobello mushrooms (or button mushrooms), diced

• 1/2 cup cooked lentils

• 1 cup broccoli florets

• 3 bundles of uncooked egg noodles (or 1 cup of uncooked noodles of your choice)

• 1 tsp salt

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tbsp. lemon/lime juice

• 1.5 tbsp. rice vinegar

• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 3 tbsp. soy sauce

• 1/2 to 1 tbsp. chili paste (use more if you like spicy food)

• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• roasted peanuts and sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the canola oil on medium-low and stir fry the onion, bell pepper, carrot and the white portions of the green onions for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the salt, mushrooms and water chestnuts to the pot and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

3. In the meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the peanut sauce till is achieves a smooth consistency. Add a splash of water if needed.

4. Once the sauce is ready, add it to the pot and stir to coat all the vegetables. Add the cooked lentils at this time as well.

5. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot and add the uncooked noodles and the broccoli florets in. The egg noodles only take a few minutes to cook but if using a different type of noodle, cooking time may vary.

6. If you want this to be a noodle soup, add an additional 1 cup of water at this time.

7. Let the noodles cook in the peanut sauce for 5 minutes on medium heat.

8. Once cooked, turn heat off, add the sliced green portions of the green onion and stir.

9. Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.