Serves a Crowd

Indian Peanutty Noodles

October  6, 2018
4.4
18 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 25 minutes
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

A fusion of vegetable-packed noodles and Indian peanut chutney, this simple dish is perfect for busy weeknights or wfh lunches. You can use your favorite noodles (I go with udon or sometimes soba), and add whatever vegetables you have on hand. The real star is the chutney: A simple blend of raw peanuts, cumin, and red chile powder, it's the condiment my family fights over, it's that good. The chutney's sweet creaminess cuts through the savory pungency of the soy sauce–laden noodles, resulting in a delightful meal that tastes even better with red chile garlic sauce. If you have the peanut chutney ready, you can make these noodles in a cinch.

Dry peanut chutney will last for at least a month if not more on the counter. Store it away in the refrigerator for longer life. Use it again the week after for making the same noodles. Or add some olive oil to chutney and serve with torn bread pieces as an appetizer. —Annada Rathi

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Why My Indian Peanutty Noodles Are Worth Fighting Over. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • Peanut chutney
  • 1 cup unsalted, unroasted peanuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Indian peanutty noodles
  • 6 ounces udon or soba noodles
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, divided
  • 2 tablespoons peanut chutney, prepared above
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, to taste
Directions
  1. Peanut chutney
  2. Roast the peanuts in a 350°F oven (or toaster oven, like I do) for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the nuts have turned dark brown, a shade darker than golden brown. Keep an eye on them! (After 3 minutes, turn the pan in such a way that the peanuts in the back come to the front.) Turn the oven off, take the peanuts out, and let cool.
  3. In a food processor or blender, blitz all of the chutney ingredients (cumin powder, red chile powder, and salt) along with the peanuts into a coarse powder. Keep in a zip-top bag or tightly sealed jar.
  1. Indian peanutty noodles
  2. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on their packet and set aside. Keep half a cup of water in which you boiled the noodles.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Add half of the scallions and let cook for a minute. Add broccoli and sauté for 5 minutes. Feel free to add broccoli stems too. Follow with red bell pepper for about 3 to 4 minutes. (We want both these vegetables to lose their raw flavor, yet still have a bite.) Feel free to substitute with vegetables of your choice as long as the vegetables retain some bite, shape and do not become mushy. Carrots, red onions, snap peas, zucchini, water chestnuts, baby corn, mushrooms, French beans are great substitutes.
  4. Add peanut chutney and mix well, followed by the soy sauce, and sauté till the sauce coats all of the vegetables.
  5. Add boiled noodles and mix till the noodles are coated evenly with the soy sauce/peanut chutney mixture. Pour some of the starchy noodle water if you like your noodles wetter.
  6. Garnish with rest of the scallions and serve hot with fresh red pepper chile garlic sauce on the side.

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24 Reviews

Dariusz November 18, 2023
Simple and great dish. We love the taste. I would recommend saving more than a half of cup noodle water, as the amount of water needed depends on the type of noodles. A little of chicken (small bits, marinated) could also be added as an optional ingredient.
tcamp March 25, 2022
I heard this on the Play Me A Recipe podcast and had to make right away as I had the ingredients on hand. It was both easy and delicious, a winning combo especially on a busy weekday for dinner. I just had the leftovers for lunch. A repeat for sure!
Yumzy September 22, 2020
Very yummy Peanutty Noodles with the added Indian Flavours. Must try recipe which is simple and also tasty. Yummy to your tummy with Yumzy.
https://yumzy.in
Yumzy September 22, 2020
Very yummy Peanutty Noodles with the added Indian Flavours. Must try recipe which is simple and also tasty.
https://yumzy.in
Yumzy September 22, 2020
Very yummy Peanutty Noodles with the added Indian Flavours. Must try recipe which is simple yet tasty.
https://yumzy.in
LULULAND June 27, 2020
Just made this for dinner. What a winner! Hubs loved it as did I. I thought the sauce was a little dry so added more chutney and soy sauce until I felt it was enough. WOW thank you!
Annada R. June 30, 2020
Lovely, Lululand! Thank you for your comment and trying this recipe. Even I like to smother my noodles in the sauce.
creamtea April 28, 2020
Saw this this morning and tried it tonight. Everyone in the family loved it! I used carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, shallots, and snap peas and combined them with some leftover rice noodles. Will definitely make again.
Annada R. April 29, 2020
Thank you creamtea! I'm so glad that your family enjoyed this dish.
tosacem September 11, 2019
Chili powders and chilies confuse me. Since this is an Indian dish should I be looking for an Indian chili powder? Or am I to use Cayenne powder? I made this and used a standard chili powder (like one used for making a beef chili), not much flavor and no heat. Thanks! I love noodles, want to get this right.
Annada R. September 16, 2019
Hello, thank you for your question, tosacem! Yes, please try using cayenne powder or any chile powder as long as it packs some heat to add flavor. It does not have to be from an Indian chile powder. Generally I end up using Indian red chile powder for this recipe as that is the one which use in my everyday cooking. Good luck and keep me posted!
Yiannis P. September 11, 2019
This recipe ticks a lot of boxes for me. it's easy to prepare, doesn't require a lot of oils/fats & leaves me feeling less weighted down than curries yet still satisfies my peanut fix. One thing I learned--which is no fault of the recipe's but rather a reflection of my own inexperience--is that habanero chile powder is not a good one-to-one substitute for regular chile powder. Even w/ the added heat, however, I found it delicious & am definitely adding it to my rotation (& not just because I have a tone of leftover soba noodles!).
Annada R. September 11, 2019
Thank you Yiannis! Habanero chile powder must have imparted some hot brilliance to the dish.
VanessaJo June 25, 2019
Really delicious. I added some CSA carrots and used the broccoli stems as well- just blanched them first in the noodle pot. Served with a sesame cucumber salad. 10/10 would make again.
Annada R. June 26, 2019
Thank you, Vanessa. Carrots and broccoli stems are wonderful alternatives. Your comment reminds me that I should add a note about substitutes to the recipe. Thank you for that.
tosacem June 16, 2019
Are raw peanuts readily available besides online? Can another peanut be substituted?
Annada R. June 16, 2019
Hello! Yes, raw peanuts are available in Asian & international grocery stores. Also you can substitute salted peanuts for raw peanuts. Just don’t add salt in the peanut chutney.
tosacem June 16, 2019
Thanks!
Maggie December 5, 2018
Easy to prepare and scrumptious. Highly recommended
Annada R. December 5, 2018
Thank you very much, Maggie. Happy you enjoyed the noodles!
Ceil_the_great November 27, 2018
So tasty! I forgot the salt at first and it was good even without. Used whole cumin (just tossed in with the peanuts) and it turned out great. Deceptively simple-definitely a keeper.
Annada R. November 28, 2018
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it! The noodles taste super the next day too. Also could you make the fresh red chile sauce? It goes very well with these noodles.
Annada R. November 28, 2018
Thank you! Glad you liked it. The noodles taste super the next day too! Did you try it with the fresh red chile, garlic sauce? Here’s the recipe https://food52.com/recipes/77964-fresh-garlic-red-chile-pepper-sauce
Eric K. November 30, 2018
Ah, amazing. Great to hear.