NO-PREP ASIAN 'WONDER' SAUCE WITH NOODLES: vegan, quick, easy, protein

A 5-ingredient no-prep sauce is a godsend for frugal,  easy and delicious dishes ...and it does double duty

They don't look like much but these flat noodles are bathed in a silky smooth 5-ingredient Asian creamy sauce which tastes wondrous.  
'Choice of subtle or punchy, and there's a low-salt version, too.' Taster 

This glorious versatile Asian sauce from Zaynab Issa at Bon Appetite magazine is a winner a thousand times over.  Pour it over any cooked noodles and prepare for complements.  

It has only a few store cupboard ingredients, though adding a garnish or two or throwing in a little meat or veg won't do any harm. 

Unlike most Asian sauces, this sauce is creamy, not broth-y.  

It combines nuttiness, acid, sweet and heat.  And it's versatility is a boon for the budget -- replace tahini with nut butter, lime with lemon, maple syrup with sugar, chilli crisp with dried flakes.

The sauce also has an intriguing dual personality.  At room temperature, the sauce is almost invisible and subtly punchy. The kids and oldies will love it.  But refrigerate and the sauce thickens and darkens and the flavour intensifies...in a good way!  Dads will love this version.

The sauce is so easy, you could make each version in 10 mins.

The best thing of all, considering its fabulous artisanal taste, is that its a miniscule fraction of the cost of deli versions. 

67 has one reservation. The sauce is very salty; you can't taste it but anyone on a low-salt diet will find themselves with a rageing thirst afterwards.  So 67 created a low-salt version that replaces half the amount of soy sauce with sherry & a balsamic vinegar.  (below) 

Cost: pennies (plus cost of noodles)

Serves: 2-3 as a side; leftovers can be used in multiple ways

Ingredients:

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp tahini (or nut butter of choice) 

1 tbsp lime juice (or any citrus or vingar - white wine or balsamic)

1 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar, agave or honey)

pinch of sambal or (Chiu Chow) chilli crisp or flaked chilli

         120gm/4.2oz egg or other noodles (67 used flat rice noodles)  (Check out How to Use Your Noodle(s);      

Garnish: any or some of sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, chopped peanuts or cashews, fresh parsley or coriander

optional: shredded cooked meat, cold water prawns, firm tofu in small cubes

Low-salt version: 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sherry or white wine or white grape juice, a shot of balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp tahini (or nut butter of choice),  1 tbsp lime juice (or any citrus or vingar), 1 tbsp maple syrup (or brown sugar, agave or honey), a pinch of sambal or (Chiu Chow) chilli crisp or flaked chilli

Method:

1. Place noodles in a large bowl; pour over boiling water, leave 5 mins (flat noodles: drop into boiling water 6 mins) drain, rinse in cold water.  Use fork or chopsticks to separate strands; if you need to, cut with scissors into more manageable pieces
2. Put sauce ingredients in a small jar with an airtight led; shake thoroughly until amalgamated
3. For a subtle flavour, leave at room temp & pour over noodles just before serving, enough to moisten but not drown, toss
4. For the punchy version, refrigerate at least an hour before pouring over noodles; toss
5. Stir through additional protein, if using
6. Add garnish
7. Leftover sauce can be used for other dishes (see Tips) 

Comments:

'Subtle version is absolutely lovely, silky and smooth but not lacking in flavour; kids and cautious oldies will love it.  Punchy version is intense but gorgeous with no single flavour dominating.'

Tips:

• Use leftover sauce over rice, vegetables or alongside crispy fried leftover protein 
• Be careful with Chiu Chow Chilli crisp; start with tiny portions or it will blow the head off unsuspecting diners

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This recipe has been adapted by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.