I think I first had this recipe when I lived in California, but I hadn’t made it in years. My kids were on a noodle kick, and I found a few different recipes online that fit the bill. We added a few of our own tweaks, and this dish tastes like home to me. It has all my favorite flavors and a variety of textures.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, raw
1 lb fresh udon
2 carrots
1 English cucumber
1 lime
2 bunches baby bok choy
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. Golden Mountain sauce
1″ ginger root
1/2 c. peanuts

Preparation:

Peel and devein the shrimp. Remove the tails. No one likes the tails. Seriously, why to restaurants leave the tails on when you order a shrimp salad or shrimp pasta? It’s not like they’re edible. But no, you have to stick your fingers unceremoniously into the sauce to pull the stupid tails off yourself. I will never understand that.

Peel and grate ginger root.

Peel cucumber with a knife, alternating strips of peel and strips where it’s removed so the cucumber looks all stripey. Cut in half lengthwise. Thinly slice crosswise.

Peel carrots. Thinly slice crosswise.

For bok choy, cut off the root end. Thinly slice the stems crosswise and cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

Rough chop the peanuts.

Slice the lime into quarters. Set aside.

Assembly:

In a large bowl, combine cucumber, carrots, vinegar, sesame oil, and half the ginger. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Season to taste. Set aside to marinate.

Salt and pepper shrimp to taste.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add shrimp and cook 2-4 minutes until opaque. Remove from pan. Set aside. Don’t overcook the shrimp or they will have the texture of rubber. People don’t want to eat rubber.

In the now-empty skillet, add a little more oil, ginger, Golden Mountain sauce, and the noodles. Cook about 2 minutes until everything is coated and noodles are warm.

Add the bok choy to the noodles and cook it down until it’s wilted.

Remove from heat and add contents of the pan + shrimp to the vegetable bowl. Toss to coat everything with the yummy marinade.

Add peanuts and serve with a lime wedge. Don’t skimp on the lime; it really adds wonderful flavor to this dish.

Product Note: If you’ve never heard of Golden Mountain sauce, today is your lucky day. It’s basically the secret ingredient that makes all Thai food taste good. You should be able to pick some up at your local supermarket. If they don’t carry it, most specialty food stores and higher-end supermarkets will have it available.

Substitution Alert: If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can substitute 1/2 tsp. dried ginger powder instead.

Substitution Alert: If fresh udon are not available in your area, you can substitute dried udon. Just be sure to cook the noodles per the label instructions before you begin.

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Adapted from Blue Apron