Spicy Peanut Noodles

5 from 4 votes

Servings: 3

These spicy peanut noodles pack a lot of flavor without hitting you over the head with peanut butter aroma. One of the key ingredients in the sauce is doubanjiang (豆瓣醬), a fermented broad bean chili sauce. For a complete meal, you can serve the noodles with my teriyaki tofu, sweet chili garlic shrimp, smashed cucumber salad, or Chinese garlic green beans. I link to more suggestions in the post!

Looking for more noodle inspiration? Here’s more of my noodle recipes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons grated garlic, (see note 1)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons doubanjiang, (see note 2 for substitutions)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar, (see note 3 for substitutions)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, depending on desired level of spice (see note 4)
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander, optional
8 to 9 ounces (225 to 255 grams) Asian-style wheat noodles, (see note 5)
1/3 cup (15g) packed Thai basil leaves, chopped (can sub with any other basil)

Optional Garnish

toasted sesame seeds
chili flakes
sliced scallions

Instructions

Add the grated garlic to a bowl and mix with rice vinegar. Let that sit for 10 minutes.
Next, add the peanut butter, water, doubanjiang, soy sauce, sugar, chili flakes, and coriander, if using. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. The sauce will look grainy at first, but continue stirring the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes. Let the sauce sit while you cook the noodles. The sauce will thicken some more. (See note 6)
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions. The hand-cut noodles I used took 6 minutes to cook.
Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water thoroughly. I actually prefer the texture of the noodles when I shock them in an ice bath for 1 to 2 minutes before draining. (See note 7)
Transfer the noodles to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss together. Then, add the chopped basil and toss again. Garnish with sesame seeds, chili flakes, and scallions if you like. Serve the noodles on their own or together with other side dishes. See headnote for suggestions.

Notes

Grated Garlic: I use a microplane zester to grate the garlic. If you are averse to the flavor of raw garlic, you can mince 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and sauté the garlic in some oil. Alternatively, use 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic or garlic powder instead.
Doubanjiang Substitutions: You can substitute doubanjiang with black bean and garlic sauce (a southern-Chinese style sauce). Lee Kum Kee’s version is available in Asian sections of grocery stores, Asian grocers, or on Amazon. Because black bean and garlic sauce isn’t spicy, you may consider adding a little more chili flakes if you want the spice. Besides black bean and garlic sauce, gochujang (fermented Korean chili paste) can work also for this spicy noodles recipe. However, you may need to add salt or reduce the amount of sugar used in the sauce because gochujang is sweet. You can find gochujang in Asian sections of grocery stores, Asian grocers, or on Amazon.
Brown Sugar Substitutions: Feel free to use any other sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you’re not vegan.
Chili Flakes: Different chili flakes have varying levels of spice. I used Diaspora Co.’s Guntur Sannam Chilli, which has a medium-low level of spice. If you are averse to very spicy food, start with 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes and add more if desired.
Noodles: I used dry hand-cut noodles, but other noodles like soba, udon, rice noodles, or mung bean noodles can also work.
Make Ahead: You can make the sauce up to 3 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated in a jar.
Cooling the Noodles: I find when you mix a peanut butter sauce with warm noodles, the noodles will turn mushy and almost gummy. That’s why I recommend cooling the noodles thoroughly. This stops the noodles from cooking further and removes some excess starch from the noodles. I think the best way to cool the noodles fast is to shock the noodles in a bowl of ice water for 1 to 2 minutes before draining. As you can imagine, the noodles will turn cold once you shock them in ice water. If you want the noodles to be closer to room temperature, rinse the noodles under cold water instead.
Serving: This recipe makes 2 large servings of noodles, or 3 smaller servings, which is great for serving with side dishes.

Nutrition

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