I found the original version of this recipe in the pages of the Christian Science Monitor, submitted by Kirsten A. Conover.  I have since tweaked it quite a bit, changing a few ingredients and adding others, but the taste has stayed fairly constant–peanuty, spicy and asian..

You will need:

    peanut butter

    soy sauce

    light brown sugar

    sesame oil (toasted/brown)

    garlic cloves (or chopped garlic, garlic paste)

    ginger root (or ginger paste)

    scallions

    red pepper flakes

    thin spaghetti

    peanuts

    sorghum or molasses (optional)

Put a large stockpot of water on to a boil.

Whisk together in a small saucepan

    1/4 c. peanut butter

    1/3 c. soy sauce

and then stir in

    2 T water

    1/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

    1/4 c. sesame oil

    2 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1-2 t chopped garlic)

    1 t minced, fresh ginger root ( or 1 t ginger paste)

    1/2-1 t crushed red pepper flakes    

    6 scallions, thinly sliced (set aside 2 T for garnish)

    dollop of sorghum or molasses (optional)

Stir together until smooth. Put a low heat under the pot to warm the sauce.

Grind up approximately

    1 cup peanuts (or 4 oz., unsalted)

Mix these into the sauce.

Drop into the boiling water

    1 pound thin spaghetti

and cook al dente. Don’t overcook the pasta; it should remain chewy. Drain thoroughly in a colander and return it to the pot.

Pour on the sauce and toss the noodles. Mix thoroughly. Serve in bowls and garnish with the remaining scallions. This is really yummy, and makes a nice side dish when cold, or even a tasty main course when hot.