This salad was a customer favorite at Spice Inc. It’s best with buckwheat noodles, but it can also be made with somen (wheat) noodles or even spaghetti. This is a great salad to eat all summer long.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8 servings

　　

Noodles

1 (12-ounce) package buckwheat (soba) noodles

　　Salt

　　Spicy Peanut Sauce

　　2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

　　2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

　　

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce; see p. 14)

　　2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

　　1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

　　1 tablespoon honey

　　1/2 cup lightly toasted peanuts

　　2 garlic cloves

　　1/2 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger

　　1 teaspoon sambal oelek or other red chile paste

　　1/4 cup chopped cilantro

　　1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

　　1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

　　1/2 cup peanut or canola oil

　　Salt

　　(makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 1 batch of noodles with a little left over)

　　

Noodles

Step 1

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, until cooked through but still firm. Drain well and place in a large bowl.

　　

Step 2

Toss the Spicy Peanut Sauce with the noodles and garnish with the scallion and cilantro.

　　

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Step 3

Place all the ingredients (reserving 2 tablespoons cilantro and 2 tablespoons sliced scallions) except the peanut oil and salt in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and puree. Stop the motor and use a spoon or spatula to lift and incorporate the bottom of the mixture. With the motor running, slowly pour in the peanut oil. The sauce should be thick and creamy, like honey. Add a little water if it is too thick. The final sauce should be about the consistency of thin mayonnaise. Taste, and adjust seasoning for spiciness or salt.

　　

Step 4

For a bit more texture, add some chopped peanuts to the finished sauce.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.