Rainbow Peanut Noodles

Christmas planning in a pandemic is an exercise in subtraction. No Bellevue this year ╬ôçö we decided weeks ago, David and Karen and James and I, a group text that was brief and practical and left everyone sad in their own private way. Karen is seventy and David is seventy-seven and COVID is killing people their age with an efficiency that makes me nauseous to think about. So it's another holiday at a distance, another celebration through screens. I'm making peace with it the only way I know how: by cooking enough food to fill the gap where physical presence should be.

I'm building Christmas boxes. One for David and Karen, one for Kevin in Portland. Each box contains: kimchi (my December batch, garlicky and bright), a container of frozen mandu, japchae ingredients with handwritten instructions, and Karen's own green bean casserole ingredients plus a printout of her recipe in my handwriting, because I wanted her to see that I have it memorized, that the thing she gave me lives in my hands now. For Kevin's box I added a jar of gochujang caramel sauce I've been experimenting with ╬ôçö sweet, fermented, a little bit unhinged, which is how Kevin likes most things.

James and I went to H Mart in Bellevue on Saturday, masked and careful, moving through the aisles quickly. I bought short ribs for galbi, sesame leaves, and a bag of sweet rice flour for songpyeon, which are Chuseok rice cakes and not Christmas food at all, but I want to practice and December is as good a time as any. The store was quieter than usual. The ajumma at the banchan counter recognized me ╬ôçö she's seen me every other week for three years ╬ôçö and slipped an extra container of pickled radish into my bag. I almost cried, because kindness from Korean women I don't know keeps undoing me in ways I can't fully explain. It feels like being claimed. Like someone is saying, without words: you're one of ours.

Wednesday night I made the galbi ╬ôçö marinated overnight in soy sauce and Asian pear and garlic and brown sugar, grilled on the stove in a cast iron pan because we don't have a grill. The apartment filled with smoke and sweetness and James opened every window in December and we ate the ribs with rice and kimchi and pickled radish, our breath visible in the cold air coming through the windows, laughing because the smoke alarm went off twice and the neighbors probably think we're unhinged. We are, a little. But the ribs were perfect.

The japchae I packed for Karen and David came with a handwritten instruction sheet, because I wanted the cooking itself to feel like company — like I was standing in the kitchen beside them. That impulse, to send food that requires a little participation, a little care, kept leading me back to noodle dishes all December. These Rainbow Peanut Noodles capture exactly that spirit: they’re vivid and generous in the way I was trying to be that whole season, and the peanut-sesame sauce has just enough edge to remind you of gochujang’s sweet-fermented heat without requiring a trip to H Mart. If you’re building your own care package — or just feeding someone you love through a screen — this one travels beautifully and tastes like effort, even when it isn’t much.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz lo mein noodles or spaghetti
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
3 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
For the peanut sauce:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2–4 tablespoons warm water, to thin
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or chili garlic paste (optional, for heat)

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water to stop cooking, and toss with a drizzle of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
Make the peanut sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ginger, and garlic until smooth. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce is pourable but still creamy. Stir in chili flakes if using.
Prep the vegetables. Shred cabbage and carrots, slice the bell peppers, and slice the green onions. Thaw edamame if needed.
Combine. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Add cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, edamame, and green onions, and toss again to distribute evenly.
Taste and adjust. Taste for seasoning — add a splash more soy sauce for saltiness, a little more rice vinegar for brightness, or extra chili for heat.
Serve. Divide into bowls and garnish with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Noodles keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days, making them ideal for care packages or make-ahead meals.

Nutrition (per serving)

Rainbow Peanut Noodles — The Care Package Recipe That Traveled When We Couldn’t