Spicy Peanut Noodles with Ground Pork

Recipe modified. Original recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.

The recipe was originally made to eat at room temperature, but it seemed to me that it would taste better hot, so that is how it's made here. The veggies are not cooked however. If you shred them thinly with a potato peeler, they really do not need to be cooked. In fact the little bit of crunch is nice in this dish. The veggies heat up quickly once you add the pork and the noodles and your dish will be ready to eat immediately. The lime and the mint give this dish a refreshing spin.  

What you'll need

Kosher salt

1/2 lb Rice noodles (1/4 inch wide)

3/4 lb Ground pork

1/2 cup Peanut butter (preferably crunchy and natural)

1/4 cup Rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp Fish sauce

1/2 tsp Soy sauce 

1 tsp Sesame oil

1 tsp Fresh ginger, minced

1-2 Jalapenos, finely chopped (seeded if you prefer a less spicy dish)

2 medium Carrots, shredded using a potato peeler

1 large Zucchini, shredded using a potato peeler

2/3 cup Fresh mint, coarsely chopped

Lime wedges for serving

How to

1.  In a large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oil, ginger and 3 tbsp warm water until smooth, set aside.

2.  Cook pork over medium-high heat with 1/4 tsp salt, stirring and breaking up the meat, until just cooked through, about 4-8 minutes. Drain fat from pan.

3.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

4.  Add the pork, noodles, jalapenos, carrots, zucchini and all but 2 tbsp of the mint to the bowl and toss gently. Garnish with the remaining mint and serve immediately with the lime wedges on the side. (Make sure you include the lime because it give the dish that extra bit of tartness that completes it nicely.)