Satay Pasta Salad

This is a bit of a fusion dish, a beautiful marriage of pasta salad and Indonesian satay sauce. My recipe for the sauce is based on Little Green Dot's recipe, so if you want something more authentic check out the original. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

Satay Pasta Salad

(6 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

5 cloves of garlic (crushed/minced)

3/4 cup of hot water

1/2 cup of chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons of kecap manis*

1 tablespoon of sriracha**

Juice of a lime

Zest of a lime

Salt (to taste)

410g / 14.5oz of dry penne pasta

4 small cucumbers (halved/sliced)

550ml / 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (quartered)

*This makes for a decently sweet sauce, so if you want to that back a bit substitute one tablespoon of kecap manis with light soy sauce.

**This amount just barely registers in the finished product, but if your extremely sensitive to spice you can reduce it or remove it entirely. Conversely, add more if you want an actual kick!

Directions

1) While your water for the pasta is heating up in a large pot place a medium pan over medium heat, add the oil, and once hot sauté the garlic for a couple of minutes until golden brown.

2) Once the garlic is done deglaze with a splash of the water before adding the peanut butter, kecap manis, and sriracha, followed by the rest of the water.

3) When the sauce is thoroughly combined remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice and zest, and add salt if desired before setting the sauce aside to cool.

4) Cook the pasta as directed and to your desired tenderness, then drain and rinse in cold water water before throwing the pasta, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes in a mixing bowl.

5) Thoroughly combine the pasta, cucumber, and tomato with the satay sauce from step 3, serve, and enjoy!