Asian Peanut Noodles

Tonight's dinner will go into the fixable file even though the flavors were there.  There was way too much sauce to noodles and veggies.  I would add more pasta for the amount of sauce this recipe makes and I would triple the amount of veggies.  There should have been more.  Another possibility, would be to add only veggies and maybe some lettuce?  Some shredded, cooked chicken would work too.  Other than the fact that the pasta was drowning in the sauce, it was quite good.  I consider this dish meatless, however it is not technically vegetarian.  The fish sauce in it is made from fish.  I have seen references to vegetarian fish sauce being available in Thai markets but I have never seen it.
The sauce catastrophe may be because I couldn't find buckwheat noodles, so I used the widest whole wheat pasta I could find.


Asian Peanut Noodles
1    medium carrot,peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
12    ounces dried soba or udon noodles
3 t  toasted sesame oil
18    sprigs fresh cilantro,long stems removed
2/3 c  natural peanut butter (no added sugar)
1/4 c  plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 T  packed,peeled, and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 T  plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 T  plus 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
2 T  plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2    medium garlic cloves,peeled and smashed
1    jalapeño,stemmed and coarsely chopped
2    medium scallions,thinly sliced (white and light green par
1    medium red bell pepper cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/2-inch
1/2    medium English cucumber thinly sliced crosswise
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots
and cook until just crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted
spoon, remove the carrots to a colander.
Add the noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the
package directions. While the noodles are cooking, transfer the carrots
to a small bowl and set aside. Place the colander in the sink.
When the noodles are ready, drain them through the colander and rinse
under cold water until cool. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl,
drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and toss to coat; set aside.
Place the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, cilantro, peanut butter,
soy sauce, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and jalapeo
in a blender. Blend until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down
the sides with a rubber spatula (if the mixture is too thick, add hot
tap water 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached)
; leave the sauce in the blender.
Add the reserved carrots, scallions, bell pepper, and cucumber to the
bowl with the noodles and pour the peanut sauce over top. Toss until
well combined. Serve at room temperature or cold.