I love any food Asian – Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Japanese – it is all good in my book. Their ample use of fresh herbs, tangy marinades and nut sauces are so wonderfully fragrant and tasty. As I’m always on the lookout for new recipes with a twist, i.e. gluten free or meat free, I immediately fell for this No Noodle Pad Thai recipe by inspirational blogger Cookie+Kate. Even die hard gluten lovers are sure to enjoy this dish as a crunchy side or main course.Totally vegan (if you replace the honey for dates/maple syrup) and a great way to ensure you keep up with your nut intake too.
In order to make justice to the recipe you will need to get your hands on the FANTASTIC Julienne peeler, without which my cooking would be a whole lot duller. Inexpensive and small, this gadget takes up no more room than a potato peeler yet make it possible to create veg noodle/pasta dishes in minutes.
Another things I love about this recipe is that you can improvise – a lot! Choose different veg to noodle, play with different nuts and herbs – the world is your oyster and each time it will taste a little different. Although I used the recipe below as a base, I had to alter it to suit what I had in my fridge today. I hope you will love this as much as I did. Enjoy. x
No Noodle Pad Thai, inspired by Cookie+Kate
(Serves 2)
Vegetables
1 large zucchini – julienned
3 small carrots – julienned
1 spring onion – sliced
Big handful of bean sprouts
Sauce
1/2 cup of cashew butter (almond or peanut good too)
1/4 cup lime
2 tbsp tamari sauce/soy sauce
2 tbsp honey or a few medjool dates
2 tsp grated ginger root
Pinch dried chilli flakes
Sesame seeds
3 tbsp water to thin out
Preparation:
1. Julienne the carrots and zucchini until you have a mound of ‘noodle’ veggies. If you find the carrots too crunchy raw you can steam them for a couple of minutes until slightly wilted. This is optional.
2. Mix the spring onions and bean sprouts with the veg noodles. If you are eating right away carry on with sauce, otherwise cover and place in fridge until ready to use.
3. Place all the sauce ingredients in a container and use a hand blender to emulsify into a dressing. Add the dressing to the vegetables and ensure each strand is covered. At this stage add the sesame seeds and garnish with plenty of fresh coriander and lime wedges. Yum!!