I have to admit I’m a Asian food addict. But I’m not usually a big fan of noodles, believe it or not. I know, how could not love one of the universe’s most precious culinary gifts? It is not that I dislike the ingredient itself, but I do dislike how heavy they can often be (thick creamy italian pasta, oily chow mein, and pad thai that can leave you full for days). In the right recipe, however, noodles can be a great addition – as long as they are not the sole component of the dish. when complemented with a bunch of fresh veggies and some slightly less-starchy noodles, they become an aspect of a great dish without stealing the spotlight and inducing a carb-coma.
I literally rummaged through my fridge to make this vegan Vietnamese stir-fry noodles and smugly patted myself on the back for making a recipe I wanted to post on my site using things I already had – no special run to the grocery store to get specific ingredients. I wanted to share this recipe because I have a theory that almost everyone has some sort of dried noodles in the pantry. I made this with flat rice noodles which I’m fond of because they just need soaking in boiled water. But you can use any dried noodles you want – dried or fresh.
Many noodle stir fries tend to be heavy on the noodles and light on the veggies. This one is the other way round. It only uses 100g/3.5 oz of dried noodles for 2 servings. When you pull out the dried noodles, you’ll be doubtful that it’s enough. But it will be! Once the noodles are soaked, they expand, then when tossed in the sauce and loosened up, they increase in volume again. And also, there is stacks of veggies in this recipe. By volume, there is more veggies than noodles, but they shrink a lot during cooking.
Once you’ve compiled everything, this recipe for pan fried noodles comes together quite quickly and easily. It’s great served warm from the pan or cold if you happen to have any leftovers. You can mix pan fried noodles with a salad or a grain base like rice or quinoa to bulk it up a bit. If you’re craving the savoury goodness of your favourite Vietnamese noodle dish without the heaviness that often accompanies, try this alternative out for yourself.
IF YOU EVER GIVE THIS RECIPE A TRY, DO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND/OR TAG @FRUITYEMZ AND HASHTAG #FRUITYEMZ ON YOUR INSTAGRAM POST! 🙂
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