Spicy Peanut Vegetable Noodles

Have you had Spicy Peanut Noodles? Hot or Cold they are one of my favorite treats. When I make them at home I douse them in extra sesame seeds and sriracha and go to town. But, I’m in a low-carb phase right now. So when the craving hit last weekend I had to improvise. Luckily I had a cucumber in my fridge as well as some beets and butternut squash I had spiralized earlier in the week. But let’s start with the cucumber!

The goal here is to use a peeler to make thin slices of cucumber. I like to try and have at least a little sliver of the skin on most of my “noodles.” Mostly for aesthetics, but also because the noodles with skin are less likely to break apart, in my opinion. Stop peeling when you got to the seeds and munch on that cucumber as you finish making this.

Once you have your cucumber noodles all set sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for about twenty minutes. You are going to do the same thing with your beets and squash.

 

While all of your veggies are being salted you can prep your peanut sauce. A little trick is to microwave your peanut butter so it’s soft and runny. This makes it a lot easier to incorporate the rest of your ingredients.

Once you have your softened peanut butter it’s a simple matter of adding in all your favorite Asian-inspired spices! I always start with garlic, ginger and red chilies. After that I decide what flavor palette I’m aching for. For instance, if I wanted something more Chinese I would add in soy sauce and hoisin sauce. But I was definitely feeling Thai food so I used honey and fish sauce.

Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret ingredient that I use in a lot of my Asian cooking. It’s called Gochu Jang and it’s a Korean red chili paste. It’s is savory, sweet and spicy all at the same time. And I use it a lot. Maybe excessively. You should go to the store and get you some right away if you haven’t tried it yet. Even my puppy loves it!

So I toss in a liberal spoonful of this goodness into my mixing bowl as well. After the dressing is mixed really well and you have squeezed the excess water out of your veggies it’s time to prepare for this next very complicated step of mixing everything together with some sesame seeds, chopped scallions and coriander.

And there you have it, it’s that easy. Cold veggie noodles guaranteed to soothe your spicy carb craving!

Ingredients:

1. Cucumber, peeled (1 cup)
2. Beet, spiralized (1/2 cup)
3. Butternut Squash, spiralized (1/2 cup)
4. Peanut butter, 3 heaping tablespoons
5. 1 Tbsp minced garlic
6. 1 Tbsp grated ginger
7. 1/2 Tbsp red chillies
8. 1/2 Tbsp honey
9. 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
10. 1/4 cup chopped scallions
11. 1/4 cup chopped coriander
12. Sesame seeds to taste
13. Gochu Jang 1 Tbsp or to taste

Recipe:

1. Peel cucumber into thin, flat noodles, spiraling beets and butternut squash.
2. Cover all vegetables with salt and let sit for 20-30 minutes
3. Heat peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl for increments of 10 seconds until soft and runny.
4. Mix in ginger garlic, red chili, honey, fish sauce and Gochu Jang (if using).
5. Wring excess water out of vegetables and add to large mixing bowl.
6. Stir in peanut sauce.
7. Stir in scallions, coriander and sesame seeds.
8. Serve with lime wedges.

***Any ratio of peeled or spiralized vegetables will work. Zucchini would be good substitute if you are not a cucumber fan. You could also use carrots or sweet potatoes, but I would suggest a three to five minute blanch to get the perfect al dente texture.

***The ratio for the sauce is also subject to individual taste. I suggest adding ingredients slowly and tasting frequently. Don’t worry about making too much. Any excess can be stored in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.