Vegan Red Curry Almond Butter Noodles + Veggies
Oooooh man. This noodle dish is my dream / new favourite dinner. It's simple, quick and nutritious and combines the lush creaminess of almond butter with fragrant red curry paste and a zip of fresh lime.
I sometimes forget how much incredible flavour a spoonful of curry paste can add to any dish. It can be found at many grocery stores or markets and contains the pungent flavours of red chili, lemongrass, ginger, garlic and coriander. As for the almond butter, it combines with the curry paste, salty tamari and zesty lime to coat these noodles in a luxurious richness. They’re perfectly creamy, salty and slightly sweet - truly everything you’d want (or at least, I would want) in a noodle dish.
It's absolutely no secret that I am completely addicted to almond butter and I love it on most things, but trust me on this one! This is one of my all-time favourite dinners that I typically make once a week, and I hope it becomes yours too ;)
As usual, this is an excellent meal prep dish as well. You can even keep the noodles, veggies and sauce separate and mix everything as soon as you're ready to eat! Feel free to also add protein here - crispy tofu, roasted chicken or a portion of salmon/trout would round this dish out beautifully. Enjoy!
Vegan Red Curry Almond Butter Noodles + Veggies
Ingredients
For the sauce:
¼ cup + 2 tbsp natural almond butter
3 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1-2 tsp chili crisp or other spicy sauce, if desired
For the noodles:
1/2 package of rice noodles (I use brown rice fettuccine)
2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil, divided
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
1/2 head of purple cabbage, sliced thin (optional)
Chopped cilantro, for topping
Peanuts and/or sesame seeds, for topping
Lime
Cooked protein like crispy tofu, if desired
Method
Whisk all of your sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or jar until smooth.
Cook your noodles until al dente according to the package directions (you want them a bit undercooked). Strain noodles and save about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Rinse noodles with cold water.
To steam the broccoli: add broccoli to your pot of noodles during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time, then drain and rinse with your noodles in cold water.
To saute the broccoli: in a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tbsp avocado oil over medium-high. Add the broccoli and a big pinch of salt and cook for 5-7 minutes or until one side is slightly charred, then flip the pieces and cook on the other side for an additional 5 minutes. The pieces should be slightly tender but with a bite (cover the pan if needed). Remove and place in a bowl to set aside.
In the same pan, heat your other 1 tbsp of oil over medium. Add the shredded cabbage and a big pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the cabbage is slightly tender and just starting to brown.
To the pan with the cabbage, add in your cooked noodles, cooked broccoli and the red curry almond butter sauce. Pour in some of the noodle cooking water. Stir to combine everything well and let the noodles cook in the pan for an additional 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat to soften, tossing constantly to create a glossy sauce coating. Keep adding more noodle cooking water as needed to loosen up the sauce. When the sauce is your desired texture and the noodles are cooked to your liking, remove from the heat and add a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro, then sprinkle with peanuts or sesame seeds if using.
Serve alongside protein of choice (I love to toss in some crispy tofu). Enjoy!
Serves 2
