It tasted better than it looks, I swear. So tasty, in fact, that I decided to slap the formula for it up here. For future reference: I rarely do recipes. It’s all about ratios, because then you can customize it according to taste, and that’s why we love cooking at home- food tailored to your own unique gustatory needs.
This one seems like something I should’ve stumbled upon years ago, in retrospect. It took Earth Balance’s coconut peanut butter to figure it out, though. You don’t have to use this- PB2 with coconut oil or plain old peanut butter and coconut milk should serve the same glorious purpose.
Now that you’ve got your coconut/peanut butter mixture, it’s time to prep it for the wok. Like many things, a wok is not required but absolutely recommended. We’re going to start the sauce with soy sauce, because that’s what you do when a wok is involved, right? Bragg’s Liquid Aminos would work here, too, if you’re watching your sodium intake.
For almost 2 lbs of noodles, I’ve poured about a cup’s worth of vegetable broth and three tablespoons of soy sauce. I strongly encourage anyone taking a risk on this to taste this for yourself. You might want less soy sauce, more soy sauce, or more water/broth. The volume is for distribution, and to make sure you don’t burn the noodles later.
You don’t have to use Sriracha sauce- anything with a peppery or chili flavor will do here. In fact, hoisin works great. I also added a tablespoon of honey with the Sriracha. We’ll go with a ‘liberal’ amount of Sriracha, I don’t really want to admit to how much I threw in there.
A splash of rice vinegar. You should have a general idea of how tart you like things! Adjust accordingly. I personally test sauces with a piece of tofu or bread- anything that will absorb the flavors and give you a brief psychic look into your food’s future. If you don’t feel confident about all this, or you don’t have much experience, add the ingredients in smaller increments.
Peanut oil in the wok. Minced garlic. Ginger. This is also where you’d add some lemongrass if you had it- enough to influence the resulting flavor, but not enough to go to war with the ginger.
Tofu! Never had decent tofu? It’s a blank canvas, really, and you can do anything with it. It’s a pity that so many cooks permanently scar reluctant first-timers with badly cooked, flavor free tofu. Now, the sauce for this dish doesn’t require the tofu to have it’s own flavor, but if you did want it, simply marinade (after it’s been cubed, sliced, or torn) it for an hour. An orange-based marinade or mushroom broth could’ve worked here. Go extra-firm for these noodles.
Press the tofu before you cut it- just place the slab in between two plates with something heavy on the top plate. Like canned food, books, or your mortar and pestle. Leave it there for at least half an hour. There’s so much more you can do to influence it’s taste and texture, but I’ll make a post dedicated to tofu some other time.
I recommend pan searing it, for this dish. Seven minutes a side on medium high, and you’ll get a crispy exterior with a delightfully soft center.
I used Shirataki noodles, because you can’t argue with the caloric intake, here. If you can’t find it, or it’s too pricy, there’s always any yellow noodles in your local asian store. You could use soba noodles, too. If you’re a student, there’s always ramen- just drain it after you’ve cooked it.
Add noodles, anything that isn’t green, and sauce mixture. FRY ON HIGH. You want it to smoke some, because that’s where part of the flavor comes from. If you prefer your food carcinogen free, there’s always liquid smoke- though maybe that causes cancer, too. Who knows. Add greens when most of the sauce has reduced on the noodles. Stir constantly, or it’ll stick to the wok. Remove just before blackened.
Spring onions are great on this, as well as sesame seeds. If you don’t mind it getting a little rich, a splash of sesame oil will do wonders, too.
It’s a flavor packed dish, but you can always tone it down if you prefer something subtle.
Ingredients
Heaps of peanut butter-coconut mixture
Noodles
Garlic
Ginger (less lemongrass if you have it!)
1/4 soy sauce, 2/4 broth (you can use pineapple juice for an added fishy dimension)
1/4 Sriracha/Pickapeppa/Hoisin/other peppery or chili thing
Splash of Rice Vinegar
Some Honey/Agave for vegans
Hard Veggies
Green Veggies
Protein (tofu/tempeh/seitan/chicken/white beans)
Rule of three 