Description
These vegan tempeh noodles with spicy peanut sauce are chewy, savory, and rich.
Ingredients
Scale
- One 8-ounce package tempeh
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like avocado or refined coconut
- 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 3 cups (about 1/4 medium head) sliced napa cabbage* (see note below)
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon gochujang*
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (lemon also works)
- One 16-ounce package fresh udon noodles*
- Scallions and sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- Using your hands, crumble the tempeh into chickpea-sized bits. Place in a large high-sided skillet and add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until all the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles.
- To the skillet, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and the peppers, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook until the peppers are just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Then add the cabbage with a pinch of salt, and cook until everything is nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes more. (It may seem like a lot of cabbage at first, but it will cook down considerably.) For proper browning, resist the urge to stir the mixture more than 2-3 times.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the garlic and ginger with 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon each of gochujang, sesame oil, and lime juice. Stir into a paste.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/3 cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain the noodles.
- Whisk the reserved water into the peanut mixture until smooth.
- Add the hot noodles to the skillet with the vegetables, along with the sauce, and toss with tongs to coat.
- Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Napa cabbage has thinner leaves and a milder flavor than European green cabbage. You can sub it with bok choy or curly kale.
- Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste. You can sub with Sriracha or harissa.
- Can’t find fresh udon? Sub with fresh ramen or pad see ew noodles. If using dried Asian noodles, use 8 ounces instead of a pound.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 475
- Fat: 22.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.4 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 17.2 g