Noodle-Age Food

The spicy peanut sauce on these noodles borrows from several Asian cuisines without belonging to any of them. Lime and chiles, coconut and curry, coriander and basil all play parts, but fermented fish sauce is conspicuous by its absence. Although the ingredient list is long, labor is minimal, and leftovers, served just on the cool side of room temperature, are delicious picnic material.

A note on the noodles: As far as I know, all authentic Asian noodle dishes, including those with lots of little chunks of meat and vegetable, call for long, skinny, more-or-less spaghetti-shaped noodles. So, of course, do many Italian pasta dishes.

But the makers of macaroni salad do have one correct idea: high-end or low, hot or cold, main-dish mixtures of pasta with lumps work out better if the pasta itself is small enough and short enough to mix evenly with everything else. Shells, wheels, bow-ties and old-fashioned German-style egg noodles are all ideal. Squiggles, radiators and macaroni are the right length but a bit on the thick side. It takes an awful lot of sauce to keep them from being stodgy.

NUTTY NOODLES

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups roughly chopped cabbage

Salt

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons lime juice and pulp, or more to taste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon tamari or other aged soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon whole cloves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

6 ounces pasta of choice

1/2 pound grilled or roasted beef, cut in thin slices

2/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro

8 to 10 large basil leaves, roughly chopped

In large, non-reactive bowl, combine cucumber, onion, cabbage and 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour, then rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.

In heavy saucepan, combine peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar, tamari, Worcestershire, crushed hot pepper, curry, cloves and garlic. Mix well, then slowly stir in coconut milk. Don’t let boil. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain. Add sauce, reserved vegetables, sliced beef, cilantro and basil and stir well. Season to taste with salt. Add additional lime juice and crushed pepper, if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.