Ingredients

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 6 ounces spaghetti
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut diagonally into 1/8-inch slices
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion

Instructions

1. In a blender blend the peanut butter, the soy sauce, the lemon juice, the garlic, the red hot pepper flakes, the sugar, and 1/4 cup hot water until the sauce is smooth. In a kettle of boiling salted water boil the spaghetti until it is just tender, drain it in a colander, and rinse it briefly under cold water. Drain the spaghetti well, transfer it to a bowl, and toss it with the sauce, the cucumber, the scallion, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve the pasta at room temperature.