Udon with Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is always so delicious, but unless you've got a food processor lying around or have all the time in the world to be crushing peanuts by hand, making peanut sauce is a pain in the you-know-what!  So I cheat.  Hey, I'm living in a college dorm--I don't have time for that kind of stuff!  What's my secret?  The one thing that's probably on every college kid's menu and within a tight budget:  peanut butter.  Yes, peanut butter.  Melt it down with some water, mix it with some other sauces, and you're good to go!  This recipe should be something that everyone can try.  I'm pretty sure all the ingredients are at least fairly easy to pick up at the local grocery store, but if you can't find diakon, it'll still taste good without it.

Udon with Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1-2 oz dried udon noodles
5 snowpeas
1/2 large carrot or 1 small carrot, pealed
1/2 in. diakon, pealed
vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. peanut butter (either chunky or smooth will work beautifully)
4 tsp. hot water
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce (with or without garlic will work)
2 tsp. soy sauce
sesame seeds (optional, to serve)

Cook the udon according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Cut the carrot into 1/8 in. slices on the diagonal and the diakon into 1/8 in. thick sticks.  Trim the stems from the snow peas, then slice them in half on the diagonal.

Combine the peanut butter, hot water, chili sauce, and soy sauce together in a small bowl.  Stir well until the peanut butter has dissolved and a smooth paste is formed.  Set aside.

Heat a little oil in a pan, then add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.  After the veggies have softened a bit, add the noodles and stir to combine.  Add the peanut sauce and stir until well coated and heated through.  Serve.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.