Udon-awanna make this!

And, if you love spicy food as much as I do, udon-awanna make this my way...

I found the recipe for Peanut Curry Noodles with Seared Shrimp & Scallops on one of my favorite food blogs, love & olive oil. I can't really speak for what the recipe would have tasted like had I followed it because I did some omitting and substituting. However, I can tell you that what I ultimately produced by following the "gist" of this recipe was exceptionally delicious...and spicy!

Note: if you prefer not to clear your sinuses during mealtime, disregard a lot of what I say and follow the recipe. 

Fresh ginger, which I am happy to say I had thanks to a reader's suggestion to keep ginger root handy by freezing it

Ingredients I added:
1 large jalapeno, diced (not seeded)...duh

Add to the skilled with the garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes.

When I made this dish, I made two errors on this step of the recipe. First, I forgot to add the ginger, which I didn't realize until I was getting ready to cook the shrimp. Naturally, per my modus operandi, this mistake resulted in a mini-meltdown. Eric, per his modus operandi, came to my rescue, sauteed the ginger in the shrimp-skillet before the shrimp, took it out of the pan, and added it to the sauce. Hooray for ridiculously awesome sous-chefs! My second error was adding the scallions at this point rather than at the end to finish the dish. Texturally, it would have been better to add them at the end rather than at the beginning, but it didn't hurt the flavor...

Ingredients I substituted:
2 heaping tablespoons fresh chili paste instead of 2 rounded tablespoons red curry paste.

I didn't have red curry paste so I just used what I did have. It just so happened that what I did have dramatically kicked up the spiciness of the sauce.

Ingredients I wish I substituted: 
crunchy peanut butter for creamy peanut butter.

Why? Well, why not?

I fully admit this looks a little less-than-appetizing, but I assure you, it is delicious!

Whisk soy sauce into PB

Add coconut milk & brown sugar...mmm.

I'd also like to try grilling the shrimp instead of heating them in the skillet.

Pre-cooked shrimp rubbed with five spice powder, all we had to do was heat 'em up!

And add to sauce...

Ingredients I omitted:
Scallops 

Didn't have any! Didn't miss 'em.

 
This was definitely one of those meals that I was sad to see end. If you have a taste for Thai food, peanut sauce, or anything made with coconut milk, I definitely suggest giving this recipe a whirl.

I am going to try to refrain from making it nightly.