Recipe and photos by Katherine Deumling, Cook with What You Have
If you’ve ever met Katherine Deumling of Cook with What You Have, you know that she is a city treasure! Her devotion to local farmers and our food community runs deeper than bedrock. If you want to get more comfortable cooking, want to help a friend feel more ease in the kitchen, want recipe inspiration that unites deliciousness with flexibility (and vegetables!), look no further! She recently shared this recipe for an Umi noodle salad with peas, peanuts, cilantro and mint. It’s really perfect. It takes almost no time to cook (a gift on very hot days) and tastes refreshing and flavorful. This is your new go-to for noodle salad daze and days.
Makes 3 to 4 servings
Dressing:
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime’s worth)
1 scant tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or light soy sauce
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno or 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground hot pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup packed mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped (can omit and use more mint)
2 stalks green garlic, white and green parts, minced or 1 large clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, white and green parts, very thinly sliced
For Salad:
12 ounces Umi Organic fresh ramen noodles
10 ounces shelling peas, fresh or frozen or chopped snap or snow peas (see headnote)
3/4 cup peanuts, deeply toasted (I take roasted peanuts from the bulk bins and toast them further in a skillet with a little oil and salt over low heat until a few shades darker), cooled
Directions:
1. Mix all dressing ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If using frozen peas, cook for two minutes before adding the noodles. If using fresh peas, add at the same time as the noodles. Tease apart noodles and add to boiling water. Cook for two minutes, stirring well at least once to loosen the noodles. Drain everything at once and rinse with cold water to bring noodles and peas to room temperature.
3. Put noodles and peas in a large serving dish along with peanuts and top with dressing. Incorporate dressing well and taste and adjust seasoning with lime juice if needed. The peas and nuts will tend to drop to the bottom so make sure you scoop up plenty with each serving. Enjoy!
