Spicy Peanut Rice Noodle Bowls from @MysteryMacRae

 

Aren’t fresh vegetables pretty? Look at the colors and textures in this dish. It has tender rice noodles with a bit of zing, a touch of sweet, the crunch of red cabbage and lightly pickled carrots, and the savory satisfaction of edamame. The finishing touch is a rich peanut sauce hinting at curry and ginger. The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook calls the dish a stunner. It is in every way. Even better – it takes hardly any time at all to make.

 

Spicy Peanut Rice Noodle Bowls

Adapted from The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup shredded carrots

5 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, divided

12 ounces (¼-inch wide) rice noodles

¼ cup vegetable oil, divided

2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (you can substitute serrano or jalapeño peppers, or red pepper flakes)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup frozen edamame

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

2 tablespoons torn fresh basil

Lime wedges

 

Directions

Combine carrots and 2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl; set aside.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Remove from heat, add noodles, and let sit, stirring occasionally, until soft and pliable but not fully tender. Drain noodles.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in Thai chiles, garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup water, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, and remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Adjust consistency with more water. Transfer sauce to bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add edamame and cook until spotty brown but still bright green, about 2 minutes; transfer to bowl.

In now empty skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add drained noodles, 1 ¼ cup water, and ½ cup peanut sauce and cook until sauce has thickened slightly and noodles are well coated and tender, about 1 minute.

Divide noodles among individual serving bowls, then top with carrots, edamame, and cabbage. Drizzle with remaining peanut sauce, sprinkle with peanuts and basil, and serve with lime wedges.

 

  

Look for Molly’s new series—The Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries—coming in July 2024!

Book 1: Come Shell or High Water

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.