Peanut Noodles When There's
Nothing in the Fridge

The name is accurate. This is the recipe for when the fridge is mostly bare but the pantry has something to work with. You need noodles, peanut butter, soy sauce, and about three other things. The sauce comes together in a bowl while the noodles cook.

I've made this more times than I can count. It's the thing that gets made when it's late, when the shopping hasn't happened, when nobody wants to think about what's for dinner. It takes fifteen minutes and tastes like something you'd order at a restaurant.

The noodle doesn't matter much — spaghetti, ramen noodles, rice noodles, udon, soba. Whatever you have. The sauce is the thing, and the sauce is five ingredients that most kitchens have at all times.

What you need

• 200g noodles (spaghetti, ramen, rice noodles, udon — any noodle)
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or extra peanut butter if none)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced
• 2–4 tablespoons hot water to loosen the sauce

How to make it

Step 1: Boil the noodles. Get a pot of salted water going. Cook the noodles according to the package — usually three to eight minutes depending on the type. While the water heats up and the noodles cook, you'll have time to make the sauce and prep any toppings.

Step 2: Make the sauce in a bowl. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic in a large serving bowl. Whisk with a fork until smooth. It will look thick and seized at first — add hot water a tablespoon at a time and keep whisking. You want it pourable, about the consistency of heavy cream. Three tablespoons of water usually does it.

Step 3: Taste and adjust. This is the important step. The sauce should be: salty (soy sauce), nutty (peanut butter), a little sweet (honey), a little acidic (vinegar), a little rich (sesame oil). If it's flat, it needs acid — a splash more vinegar or a squeeze of citrus. If it's one-dimensional, it probably needs more salt or a bit more garlic. Trust your palate here.

Step 4: Toss while hot. Drain the noodles well and immediately add them to the bowl. The heat from the noodles helps the sauce emulsify and cling. Toss thoroughly — get every strand coated. If the sauce seizes and clumps, a splash more hot water will loosen it instantly.

Step 5: Add whatever you have. Thinly sliced scallions, shredded cucumber, grated carrot, a halved soft-boiled egg, a handful of edamame, chili oil, sesame seeds. Or nothing — these noodles are complete without toppings. The toppings are a bonus.

The sauce can go anywhere

This peanut sauce works on more than noodles. It's a salad dressing for shredded cabbage or cucumber. It's a dipping sauce for spring rolls or grilled skewers. Thin it a bit more and use it as a marinade for chicken. Thicken it and use it as a spread on a sandwich with cucumber and cilantro. I keep a jar of it in the fridge for exactly these reasons.

The peanut butter note

Natural peanut butter — the kind with no added sugar or stabilizers — works best here because it loosens more easily with water. Commercial peanut butter (Skippy, Jif) is fine but will make a slightly sweeter sauce; reduce the honey a bit. Almond butter or sunflower seed butter are solid substitutes if you have a nut issue.

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