Many of my recipes are a result of starting with a basic recipe or two and adjusting the flavours to my liking. This peanut sauce seems to be liked by all who try it. My niece claims it is so good that she could drink it!! It can be an interesting exercise for newer cooks to taste the sauce after the addition of each ingredient to see how the flavour is affected by each. The sauce is easily adapted to your tastes by increasing or decreasing each component.
The sauce itself is easy to do yet does take a bit of time preparing and adding all the ingredients. It can easily be made ahead and the rest of the meal will go very quickly. Most sauces actually benefit from allowing the flavours to sit and blend – this sauce will keep well in the fridge for a few days.
When making the sauce, you may need to “help” the blender along by stopping and scraping a few times. Starting with a slower speed and building to a higher one helps.
To make the peanut noodle version you see in the picture: Saute thin chicken strips (cut chicken breast across the grain and then cut each strip on an angle) quickly in a little oil in a large frying pan. Remove to a plate. Add thinly sliced onions (cut in half) and red pepper strips to frying pan and sauté until cooked as desired – I often prefer to soften the onions and peppers, you may wish to keep them crisper. Drop the asparagus pieces into the pasta water for the last few minutes of cooking time – do not overcook. Drain the pasta. Return to the pot, add the chicken, veggies, and peanut sauce. Toss and heat through.
To reheat leftover in the microwave, sprinkle a bit of water around the edges before covering and reheating. This will keep even the leftovers nice and moist.