Boil a lot of water for the noodles; this is the most time-consuming step.

Rinse and trim scallions, then slice thinly. In a small mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and chili paste with a fork. Mix thoroughly. Add water to the peanut mixture. This is tricky, since peanut butter and water do not want to mix. Start with a tiny bit of water, mix thoroughly until it is homogeneous, and then add some more water. You can begin to add larger quantities of water as the sauce gets thinner. The water and peanut butter really will mix, if you are patient.

Continue adding water until the sauce has the consistency you want; I make it about the consistency of ketchup. Stir in the nam pla.

Once the pot of water is boiling, cook the noodles until they are just done, and not mushy. Drain noodles and immediately mix in the sauce. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Garnish with scallions and serve.

* Chinese-style noodles with a spicy peanut sauce - This recipe is not authentic Chinese; it was created by combining readily available ingredients and double-checking against a Satay recipe. It's close to a Satay sauce, but not quite the same thing. It's also similar to a recipe in "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, " by Mollie Katzen.

* The ingredients are readily available at oriental grocery stores. Substitute soy sauce if you can't find nam pla. For fresh noodles, you can substitute several packages of ramen noodles, discarding sauce powders.

* This basic recipe may be varied by modifying quantities. Vary the chili paste to control hotness, and the nam pla to control saltiness (but the sauce will taste saltier before mixing with the noodles). If you use this as the main dish of a meal, it serves only two. This will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.

* Serve with a good beer; it's too spicy for most wines.