LOCAVORE
UDON NOODLES WITH EDAMAME AND WEST AFRICAN PEANUT SAUCE Serves 6–8 Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour
In Brazil, there is an African population and a Japanese population that live really up 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 the Japanese udon noodles.
• 2 cups warmed Mother Africa Peanut Sauce (below) • 1 pound udon noodles • 1 cup shelled edamame, boiled in salted water for 5 minutes • ½ cup cilantro leaves • ½ cup Thai basil leaves 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 to coat. Plate the noodles and top with edamame, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves. Add the onion, carrots, tomato, celery, garlic, bay leaf, cilantro, chili, salt, and lemon juice, stirring to coat the vegetables in the toasted cumin oil. Sauté until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Once the tomato paste is incorporated, add the peanut butter, working it into the vegetables with a little stock, if needed. Cook until the oil separates from the peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and stir, making sure to bring up all of the tomato paste and peanut butter from the bottom of the pot so it is well blended. Increase the heat to medium high to bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring, for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce in the pot until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 cup julienned carrot • ½ cup thinly sliced onion
THE MOTHER AFRICA SAUCE Makes about 4 cups Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour • 1 tablespoon olive oil • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds • ½ white onion, diced
• ½ cup coarsely chopped carrots (1 medium carrot) • 1 plum tomato, chopped • ¼ cup finely diced celery (1 rib) • 1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon) • 1 bay leaf • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro • 1 bird’s-eye chili, seeded and minced (1 teaspoon) • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) • 2 tablespoons tomato paste • 1 cup unsweetened, creamy peanut butter • 4 cups vegetable stock Heat the oil in a 4 quart pot over medium heat, add the cumin, and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The cumin will become very aromatic and a few shades darker.
WEST AFRICAN PEANUT PUNCH Serves 6 Total Time 10 minutes You’ve never had anything like this rich bourbon cocktail. The peanut base makes it creamy, spicy, and salty. • ¾ cup roasted peanuts • 1 ½ cups bourbon • ¼ cup chile honey (store bought, or you can make your own by warming 1 cup honey with 1 tablespoon chile powder for 5 minutes and then letting it cool) • GARNISH: roasted peanuts Put the peanuts and 2 cups water in a blender. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth. Strain into a large chilled pitcher. Stir in the bourbon and honey, making sure the honey is completely dissolved. Serve over ice and garnish with peanuts.
Excerpted from 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. Photography by Beatriz da Costa.
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