Peanut Noodles with Shrimp and Mango

After work I set out on the mission of finding rice paper to make summer rolls. I had a recipe in mind, presentation all set...and no rice paper! (D@mn you Shaw's, Foodmaster and Trader Joe's!). Disappointed but not defeated, I had to alter my recipe a bit...rice noodles in place of rice paper...and the plum dipping sauce was out, peanut was in.

Salad Ingredients:

1 pack wide rice noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped mango
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into thin sticks
1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled, de-veined and de-tailed
2 green onions (about 1/2 cup chopped), cut horizontally
1/3 cup diced cilantro
1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts
1 lime

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix peanut butter with coconut milk in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, sugar and crushed red pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook about 5-10 minutes until mixture has thickened slightly, stirring to prevent the sauce from burning. Remove from heat. (Add more spice according to your personal preferences!)

Heat up a large pot of water. Add rice noodles to boiling water and cook according to instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Toss noodles in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Toss cold noodles with 1/2 cup sauce. Add more until noodles are thinly coated with peanut sauce. Add shrimp, mango and cucumber and toss salad. Squeeze lime over salad. Top with cilantro, green onions and crushed peanuts.