Prep:

1. Prepare the shrimp: Thaw the frozen shrimp and rinse thoroughly.
2. Prepare all the fresh ingredients: Prepare the red onion, garlic, ginger, fresh red chilies (if using), and spring onion, separating the white and light green parts from the dark green parts, as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section.

Spicy Tahini Peanut Noodles:

1. Make the blended silken tofu tahini sauce: Drain the liquid from the block of silken tofu. Combine the tofu, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger, red chilies, and spring onion white and light green parts in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
2. Cook the shrimp: Heat 1 teaspoon of peanut oil in a medium-sized deep sauté pan or deep edged skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and spread out the pieces in the pan. Season with half of the sea salt and black pepper. Allow to sear for 1-2 minutes, then flip the pieces and season the other side with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
3. Cook the noodles: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once rapidly boiling, lower the heat and add the udon noodle cakes. Use tongs to gently shake the noodle cakes until the strands loosen and soften – about 1 minute. (Do the same if using vacuum sealed packs of fresh udon noodles. For dried udon noodles, cook according to package instructions in a pot of boiling water.) Reserve half a cup of noodle cooking water, then drain into a colander and set aside.
4. Combine everything: Pour the blended sauce in the same pan you cooked the shrimp in and set to medium-low heat. Allow the sauce to heat up, stirring occasionally – about 2 minutes. Then add the cooked udon noodles and shrimp and mix to combine until everything is evenly coated. Swirl ¼ cup of the reserved noodle cooking water in the blender jug you used to make the sauce. Then add that water along with the baby spinach to the pan and mix until the spinach has just wilted – 1-2 minutes. Stir through most of the spring onion dark green parts (reserve some for garnish) and lime juice, then switch off the heat.
5. Serve: Divide evenly onto two plates and garnish with the reserved spring onion dark green parts. Serve immediately.