Sesame Peanut (long life) Soba Noodles (Newlywed Cooking)

I made this last night for lunch today.  What really kicked me into high gear on cooking some of the recipes on my list was that I overdrew my main account yesterday, and I don’t get paid until Friday.  It’s ironic that I overdrew the account – I have plenty of funds tucked away in my education checking, and savings accounts, I just wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in my main account.  So, I suppose it’s a $34 lesson learned, and a kick in the ass that I don’t have the luxury of not planning ahead on my lunch.

Anyway, onto the liner notes for this recipe:

• I did not have sweet chili sauce or chili flakes.  I substituted Sriracha sauce instead.  And hoo-boy, talk about a kick, yowsa!  I still would like to try the sweet chili sauce.
• I did not add the carrots to the recipe.  When I make this again, I will probably add scallions, carrots, cabbage, and soybeans.  It’s a recipe that definitely calls for more vegetables.
• Rinse your soba noodles.  I cannot repeat this enough.  I have made soba and udon in the past, and didn’t rinse the noodles.  Avoid noodle-glue: rinse your noodles.
• I’m not sure what it is with me and peanuty sauces with Asian dishes, but my sauce never looks as “neat” as it does in Sharon’s picture for the recipe.  I always end up with soup!  Not that I object in this case because it’s delicious, but I could see where it’s messy.

All in all, great recipe base; I’m glad I made it, and I’m looking forward to making it/tweaking it many times.