So being back in Asia, I’m going to share with you one of my favourite dishes, which I discovered is naturally Vegan as well; Oriental Stir-Fry Noodles with Peanut Sauce. This dish is widely eaten in South East Asia and it can be served either as a starter or a main course.

What I love about this dish is the variety of fresh vegetables topped with my all time favourite peanut sauce.

Let’s start by making the peanut sauce, which to me is what makes this dish. The ingredients you’ll need are:

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
1) 2 tbsps Peanut Butter – 188Cals
2) 1 tbsp Soy Sauce – 9Cals
3) 1 Garlic Clove, minced – 4Cals
4) 1 small Red Chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
*Optional. Add it for extra spice.
5) Juice from 1 Lime – 11Cals
6) ½ tbsp. Honey / Maple Syrup – 32Cals
7) 1 stalk Lemongrass, roughly chopped – 10Cals
8) A small chunk of Ginger, coarsely chopped – 4Cals
9) 3 tbsps Water

258Cals

Steps:
1) Place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until you get a rather smooth and thin paste.
2) Add a little bit more water if needed.
3) Set the peanut sauce aside.

Now let’s cook this vibrant and colourful noodle dish.

The ingredients I’ve used are:

Noodle Ingredients:
1) 1 bundle (80g) of Soba / Buckwheat Noodles – 284Cals
2) 1 medium Carrot – 30Cals
3) 1 large Bell Pepper, thinly sliced – 33Cals
4) 1 small (150g) Zucchini / Japanese Cucumber – 25Cals
5) 1 cup (150g) Bean Sprouts – 40Cals
6) ½ medium Red Onion, chopped into small cubes – 20Cals
7) A handful of chopped Parsley – 10Cals
8) 20g Peanuts, halved – 117Cals
9) ½ tbsp. Sesame Oil – 60Cals
10) 1 small Red Chilli, finely chopped
619Cals

877 Cals / 2 = 438.5Cals

Steps:
1) Cook the soba noodles according to instruction.
2) Here’s a tip, to avoid the noodles from sticking, drain and rinse with cold water. Set it aside.
3) Spiralise the Japanese cucumber and carrot into noodles either with a vegetable spiral slicer or a peeler. If you do not have a vegetable spiral slicer, this is definitely something you should invest in to make beautiful veggie noodles. Set it aside.
4) Heat sesame oil over medium-high heat. Toss the peanuts in the oil until they are lightly toasted on all sides, then add the onion, chilli and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
5) Finally, add the bell pepper, bean sprouts, parsley, carrots and Japanese cucumber. Saute very quickly for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. To keep the vegetables crunchy, we do not want to over cook them.

It’s time to assemble the dish.

1) In a large bowl, take ¾ of the mixed vegetables and combine it with the soba noodles.
2) Separate them evenly into 2 plates. Top it up with the remaining mixed vegetables.
3) And finally, you can choose to serve with the peanut sauce at the side or drizzle the sauce onto the dish.

If you want to take this out with you, then choose to pack the peanut sauce separately to keep the veggies fresh and crunchy. This vegetable noodles with peanut sauce is to die for. Each serving is just under 400 calories.

With the huge serving of vegetables and complex carbs from the soba noodles, this will keep you satisfied for a long time. You are also getting your healthy fat from the peanut sauce.

So this simple dish makes a very healthy meal. You can also choose to serve it without the soba noodles and have it as a starter or snack. Or replace the soba noodles with another complex carbs of your choice.

Vegan or not, try this recipe out and share your creation with me on Facebook or Instagram. All the best!

Total Cals – 504Cals
+ 284Cals

788Cals / 2 = 394Cals