Spicy Peanut Noodles and Indulgent Eats at Home

Indulgent Eats at Home: 60 Crave-Worthy Recipes Inspired by the World’s Most Instagram-Famous Food, written by Jen Balisi, features a fun and exciting collection of recipes with globally-inspired flavors. A few highlights include Golden Lava French Toast, Ooey Gooey Camembert and Caramelized Onion Bread Bowl, Filipino Sizzling Pork Belly Sisig, Crispy Fried Rice Waffles, and Ube Leche Flan Cake. I will also be sharing her recipe for Spicy Peanut Noodles following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.

Jen Balisi

Jen Balisi started her blog in 2011 and it became Indulgent Eats in 2015. Through her writing, she shares her passion for food, photography, and travel. Her work has been featured on Time Out, Thrillist, and Delish.

She grew up in Union, New Jersey and moved to Hong Kong in 2017. This is her debut cookbook.

Indulgent Eats at Home

Jen begins Indulgent Eats at Home with a short introduction and the inspiration behind her love of food and the creation of this book.

Chapters are divided according to the following: Do the Yolky Pokey, Send Noods, Cheese Please, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, Meat Sweats, Seefood Diet, Rice Rice Baby, Pockets of Love, Sweet Tooth, and Be Prepared. The contents have a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.

In addition to the physical copy of the book, Jen has included digital components to help every step of the way. The QR codes paired with the recipes connect to step-by-step videos, original Instagram posts, links to notable ingredients, and more digital resources.

She also put together a guide to kitchen essentials and even a list of IG profiles for other chefs and content creators (I was excited to see so many personal favorites!).

The beautiful photography is provided by Jen Balisi, Derry Ainsworth, and Stanley Cheng. Every single recipe is paired with at least a full-page photo of the finished dish. There are often step-by-step photos as well to help demonstrate techniques such as assembling sandwiches, preparing squid, and folding dumplings.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and the original language when applicable. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, inspiration behind the dish, yield, helpful tips, and serving ideas.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

To pair with the review, I made Jen’s Famous Spicy Peanut Noods! These Spicy Peanut Noodles come together quickly and easily with a fantastic combination of flavors.

Taiwanese knife-cut noodles are boiled until just tender, then tossed in a creamy and spicy peanut sauce with peanut butter, Chinkiang vinegar, Sichuan Chili crisp oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce.

Best of all, every single ingredient was something I already had in my pantry! It is also easily customizable based on your personal tastes. I kept the ratio of sauce ingredients as written. Jen mentions she prefers a little more vinegar and chili oil.

Serve immediately with garnishes such as scallions, fried garlic, chopped cilantro, and/or sesame seeds.

I didn’t include it, but you can optionally toss in a protein of choice. Just double the amount of sauce.

Notable Ingredients

Chinkiang Vinegar (Zhenjiang, 镇江香醋) is a glutinous rice and wheat bran-based vinegar from Zhenjiang. It is aged until it becomes dark brown to black, resulting in a rich flavor with a hint of sweetness.

I have been able to find it in markets with Chinese ingredients and more recently even in larger grocery stores.

Taiwanese knife-cut noodles are wide and flat wheat-based noodles cut using a knife. I went with a generic brand found in the dried noodle section at Lotte Plaza Market in Chantilly, Virginia. Jen also makes adjustments in the recipe if you are using Tseng Noodles or A-Sha with seasoning packets.

I happened to have Sichuan chili crisp oil in my pantry, but Jen has also included a recipe in the book. This spicy condiment pairs Chinese chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, and Chinese dried chilis with a flavor-packed combination of seasonings and spices.

Other Dishes

I also made the Brown Butter Soy Garlic Spaghetti, French Onion Grilled Cheese, Crispy Oven-Braised Filipino Chicken Adobo, and Tsukune (Chicken Meatball Yakitori) with Egg Yolk Tare Dip.

The Brown Butter Soy Garlic Spaghetti is another amazing option for lunch. The combination of brown butter with the garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano is so so good.

I’m excited for so many recipes in the Cheese Please chapter and started with the French Onion Grilled Cheese. Slices of sourdough bread are filled with caramelized onions and plenty of Gruyère cheese.

I made the Crispy Oven-Braised Filipino Chicken Adobo while my in-laws were visiting over Christmas and it was such a huge hit with the whole family. This version with the crispy skin adds such a wonderful texture. It is also mostly hands off with the use of the oven.

The Tsukune (Chicken Meatball Yakitori) with Egg Yolk Tare Dip was another favorite. Chicken meatballs are brushed with a sweet and savory tare (yakitori sauce) as they cook and paired with even more sauce and an egg yolk. I especially love that Jen has included instructions for cooking the Tsukune in either the oven, grill, or air fryer (which I used).

Indulgent Eats at Home is a great pick for those looking for new and exciting recipes inspired by international flavors. There is a nice variety of easy one-serving meals perfect for a quick lunch to more intricate and stunning additions to brunch, dinner, and dessert.

Most of the ingredients are readily available in larger American supermarkets. A few items that may require further searching include tobanjan, dark soy sauce, togarashi, Chinkiang vinegar, udon, Calabrian chili paste, kewpie mayonnaise, gochujang, guajillo peppers, ube halaya, and more. Substitutions are provided when available.

Spicy Peanut Noodles Recipe

Excerpt from Indulgent Eats at Home

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5 from 1 vote

Spicy Peanut Noodles

A recipe for Spicy Peanut Noodles from the cookbook, Indulgent Eats at Home! Knife-cut noodles are tossed in a creamy and spicy peanut sauce.

Course Main

Cuisine N/A

Keyword black vinegar, knife-cut noodles, noodle, peanut, peanut butter

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients

• 3-4 ounces (85-113 grams) protein of choice optional
• 2-3 ounces (57-85 grams) Taiwanese knife-cut noodles or your preferred noodles or pasta

Spicy Peanut Sauce (double if adding protein):

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (24 grams) peanut butter plus more to taste (substitute with other nut butter or sesame paste)
• 1/2 tablespoon (7 milliliters) Chinkiang vinegar plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) Sichuan chili crisp oil recipe in book or substitute with store bought oil like Lao Gan Ma or Fly by Jing, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon (7 milliliters) sesame oil plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce plus more to taste

Optional Garnishes:

• Scallions
• Fried garlic
• Chopped cilantro
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

• Cook any proteins you are using first, since those will take longer than the rest of the noodles. You can simply season with salt and pepper, as you'll double the sauce recipe to coat the protein in sauce.
• Cook the noodles in a small saucepan or small pot according to the package directions, reserving at least 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of noodle water.
• Make the sauce while the noodles are cooking. In a bowl big enough to fit the noodles, combine the peanut butter, vinegar, Sichuan chili crisp oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
• Add 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of the hot noodle water and mix. Don't worry about it being completely smooth, as it will come together more when you add the noodles.
• Chop the scallions (if using) and set aside.
• Combine the cooked noodles and sauce by using tongs or chopsticks to transfer the noodles directly from the pan to the bowl (save yourself having to wash a colander!). If it's easier, you can drain with a colander.
• Use chopsticks to mix the noodles and any cooked proteins (if using) with the sauce until it's fully combined.
• Taste and add more sauce to your preference- (Jen personally adds more vinegar and chili oil than the recipe calls for). Find the ratios that work best for you and jot them down for next time!
• Top with your chosen garnishes and add-ons (if using) and enjoy!

Notes

Note: If you are making this with Tseng Noodles Spicy Sichuan Pepper flavor, omit the chili oil and soy sauce in the recipe. Mix the peanut butter, vinegar, and sesame oil with the instant noodle seasonings, then give it a taste and add chili oil and soy sauce, as needed.

Alternatively, if you use the A-Sha Noodles Hakka Sesame Oil Scallion flavor, omit the sesame oil and soy sauce in the recipe and use the seasoning pack it comes with, mix in the peanut butter, vinegar, and Sichuan chili crisp oil, then give it a taste and add soy sauce, as needed.