Creamy 'n' Nutty Buckwheat Noodles

One of those days, when you have nothing left in your fridge and it's thunderstorm outside, it takes sooner to make these creamy and nutty noodles than to figure out which takeout is less bad to order. Everybody keeps a jar of peanut butter in the house, right? It's so delicious it almost doesn't justify how simple it is. Your every bite starts off feeling the creaminess, and suddenly turns to a crunch, which all slowly melts in your mouth with a layered unami taste coming to sensation.

Buckwheat is in fact a type of seeds, so the flour of it doesn't have gluten. Whether the buckwheat noodle you use is made out of both wheat and buckwheat flour, or pure 100% buckwheat flour, the lower (or none) gluten content (than regular pasta) makes it tend to stick to each other after it's cooked because of the remainder of the hot water. One way to retain the nutty and crunchy taste is to run it under cold water immediately after cooking. This process washes off the excessive starch clinging onto the noodles so the noodles are al dente.

2-3 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces dried Japanese buckwheat noodles
• 1/2 cup unsalted creamy peanut butter (look for the kind with peanut as the only ingredient)
• 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons of liquid amino acid (you can use soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon of Chinese salted leek flowers (韭菜花 optional, you can get it from Asian supermarkets if using)
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (the dark kind)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons of chive, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine everything together except the buckwheat noodles. Mix well.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook buckwheat noodles according to instructions on the package. 
3. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water immediately in your colander and wash the noodles with your hands.
4. Pour noodles into the sauce. Mix well. If too dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until reaching the desired consistency.Season with extra amino acid, if needed, to taste. Dig in, before the noodles swell up.