Udon Noodles with Edamame and West African Peanut Sauce
Chef JJ presents an environment for connection through food that transcends people, memories, and generations.
In Brazil, there is an African population and a Japanese population that live really close together, and both grew up on udon. West African peanut sauce is the MOTHER SAUCE: peanut butter, tomato paste, tomatoes, French mirepoix, and our special mirepoix. In the end it’s like a pad thai with more frequent flyer mileage in its account.
There’s nothing like eating noodles and pasta when the sauce is really right. West African peanut sauce provides the perfect creamy coating for Japanese udon noodles.
From the book Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved.
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
- 2 cups Mother African Peanut Sauce* warmed
- kosher salt for pasta water
- 1 pound udon noodles
- 1 cup shelled edamame, boiled in salted water for 5 minutes
- 1.2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
*See the recipe for Mother Africa Peanut Sauce.
Preparation
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir fry the carrot and the onion for 1 minute. Add the peanut sauce and stir to coat.
In an 8-quart pot, bring water to a boil, salt it, and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and add the noodles directly to the peanut sauce mixture, tossing it to coat.
Plate the noodles and top with the edamame, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves.
JJ Johnson
JJ Johnson is a James Beard Award-Winning Chef, TV personality and author known for barrier-breaking cuisine informed by the Caribbean flavors of his upbringing. At FIELDTRIP, his made-to-order rice bowl concept in Harlem and Rockefeller Center, JJ highlights rice as a hero ingredient in globally inspired recipes. JJ is the host of ‘Just Eats with Chef JJ’ on Cleo TV and finalist for the 2022 James Beard Awards ‘Best Chef in New York State’. He serves on the James Beard Impact Programs Advisory Committee and sits on the junior board of Food Bank for New York City, taking action to end hunger.
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