…way back when (back in the day), I would occasionally hang out with my older brother and his friends and play some old-school Dungeons & Dragons in his rented and shared house on the East Side of Buffalo, NY. When everybody got hungry, we would often send out for some Chinese food from this place called “Noodle King”.  They served a dish called “Cold Sesame Noodles” and, of course, you could get it with Pork, Chicken, or Shrimp. The noodles were probably lo-mein noodles and they weren’t like they just came out of the refrigerator, but they were not heated, either. They came coated with a (most awesome) peanut sauce that was delicious! For years since, I have been playing with different combinations and have yet to perfect it. This versatile sauce below is a by-product of all of that experimentation. It’s close…

3/2/1 Peanut/Satay Sauce

I use a soup-sized spoon for my “TBSP” in this recipe, and I measure liberally. Don’t fuss with exact measurements, it’s pretty foolproof…toss with some hot spaghetti-like noodles, Asian or domestic, it does not matter. There will then be an opportunity to top these coated noodles with some teriyaki fried pieces of chicken breast, if you’d like. Thin the sauce with some sweet coconut milk and you’ll have a wonderful Satay sauce for dipping Asian prepared meats in; or incorporating into fried rice dishes.

I only use one kind of teriyaki sauce and it is a funky Yiddish (yes, Yiddish) company called Soy-Vay. It’s found in most stores in the Asian section, with a blue and white label on a glass bottle. It’s dark and thick and sweet and savory at the same time and it has sesame seeds floating in it. Try to find it if you can, it’s worth it… (Shake well)…

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add:

3 TBSP Peanut Butter (Chunky is OK if you want the peanut bits in your sauce)

3 TBSP Teriyaki Sauce

3 TBSP Soy Sauce (I like the low-sodium kind)

3 TBSP Dark Sesame Oil

2 TBSP Sugar or Honey

2 TBSP Coarse Garlic (I typically use the California Blend type, dried mixed with parsley)

1 TBSP good quality vegatble oil

1 TBSP hot sauce (optional item/optional quantity)

Mix all ingredients well with a wire whisk, set aside and let it sit for about 20 minutes (or until the sugar is dissolved and the garlic has absorbed some moisture) and whisk again for a final incorporation.

IMPORTANT: this should be considered a base recipe that is extremely flexible. If it’s not “peanutty” enough, add more peanut butter, if you like the taste and smell of sesame oil, add some more; you can’t hurt this sauce…Have fun and enjoy!

Dave