Salsa de cacahuate is far from your everyday peanut sauce. The rich, nutty, spicy sauce may hail from cozy taquerias in the southern states of Mexico, but it packs just the right punch and velvety body for the rice noodles in this recipe. The heat comes from a healthy handful of árbol chiles, toasted to wake up those dormant oils. Roasted peanuts lend texture and earthy flavor, and paprika deepens the sauce’s warm, smoky profile. Fresh lime juice and orange juice lend a zesty, sweet note, making the sauce a balanced vehicle for braising the pork. To avoid overcooking the rice noodles, you’ll bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the noodles in, and remove the pot from the heat, letting the noodles to come to life in just a few minutes. We’re looking for a silky sauce, with enough body to stick to our noodles. If it is reducing too quickly or too much, simply add a small amount of noodle cooking liquid to bring it to the ideal consistency.
This recipe is part of Make Your Own Noodles. Check out all of the recipes—plus expert tips, handy guides, and more.
What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$90 At Amazon
Blender
$49 $40 At Amazon
Large Pot
$65 At Amazon
Small Skillet
$25 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Pork
Salsa and Assembly
Preparation
Pork
Step 1
Mix 2 lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2" pieces, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper in a medium bowl until well combined.
Step 2
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Working in batches if needed, cook pork, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; reserve pot.
Salsa and Assembly
Step 3
Toast 5 chiles de árbol, seeds removed, in a dry small skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until slightly darkened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender. Add ¾ cup raw peanuts to same skillet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes; transfer to blender. Add 6 garlic cloves, ¼ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1¼ cups warm water to blender. Blend on medium-high speed until smooth.
Step 4
Pour salsa, ½ cup fresh orange juice, and ¼ cup fresh lime juice into reserved pot. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer, Return pork to pot along with any accumulated juices. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by one third, 55–65 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce has thickened slightly and pork is very tender and shreds easily, 15–25 minutes longer.
Step 5
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 12 oz. rice stick noodles (such as sen lek or sen yai). Let sit, stirring occasionally, until noodles are al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup noodle cooking liquid.
Step 6
Increase heat under pork to medium and cook, stirring and adding reserved noodle cooking liquid a little at a time if needed, until saucy. Add noodles and cook, tossing, until sauce clings to noodles, about 2 minutes.
Step 7
Divide noodles among shallow bowls and top with crushed salted dry-roasted peanuts and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
