Hello everyone! So much has happened since my last post, namely the coronavirus pandemic. Here in Ohio, we have been in quarantine since mid-March. It looks like I’ll be finishing my senior year of high school from home! Though this whole situation is quite scary, it’s also an opportunity to take a step back from our busy day-to-day lives. Social distancing is giving us all the chance to reconnect with family, practice self-care, and try out new recipes!
Today’s recipe came to exist when I found some brown rice noodles amongst my pasta stash. Since I’ve been trying to avoid leaving the house (and most grocery stores are empty anyways), I wanted to try making a dish using only pantry staples. Thankfully, my house is always stocked with nut butter, Asian ingredients like sesame oil and rice vinegar, and sriracha (thanks to my friends over at Fix Hot Sauce)! I combined these three things to make a spicy sesame peanut sauce for my take on Thai peanut noodles.
If you don’t have any rice noodles on hand, you could also make this recipe with soba noodles, spaghetti, or any other noodles you happen to have in your pantry! The vegetables I used were just what I found in my fridge/freezer, but feel free to swap those out as well. As long as you have most of the sauce ingredients, you will end up with delicious sesame peanut noodles!
Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
This Thai-inspired noodle dish combines flavors of sriracha, sesame, and peanut for the perfect balance of creaminess and spice. It also happens to be gluten-free and vegan!
Ingredients
For the Peanut Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 tbsp sesame oil
- 7 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp tamari can sub soy sauce if not gluten free
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
For the Noodles
- 8 oz Pad Thai noodles regular or brown rice
- 2/3 cup frozen edamame thawed
- 1/2 cup baby carrots sliced into matchsticks
For Garnish
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts chopped
Instructions
For the Peanut Sauce
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Combine the garlic, sesame oil, peanut butter, tamari, sriracha, maple syrup, and rice vinegar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the sesame seeds. Cover and place in the fridge.
For the Noodles
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Bring a pot with filled with 4-5 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water.
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Place the noodles in a large bowl. Add the edamame, carrots, and prepared peanut sauce and toss to combine.
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Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with chopped peanuts.
Have a block of tofu on hand? Here’s more quarantine recipes to make with sesame seeds and sriracha:
Sesame Crusted Tofu and Broccoli
