Asian Alfredo Noodles (Vegan)
Oh divine spirits of the culinary heavens, I thank you for helping me bring to life this transcendent food creation I am calling…
Asian Alfredo Noodles!
Okay seriously though, I don’t know how this happened. I went into making dinner with one idea, changed it up a bit, and ended up with a completely new flavor profile the likes of which I have never experienced. That, to me, is something spiritual.
Down to the specs…
Just like our well-loved Italian Alfredo, the sauce coating these noodles is smooth, creamy, light-colored, and garlicky. The three players contributing to the creaminess are tahini, almond butter, and coconut milk. The sauce is seasoned with mellow white miso, which is a salty paste made from fermented soybeans (it’s tastier than it sounds), but without darkening the sauce as soy sauce or tamari would. The two acids I chose were fresh-squeezed lemon juice and rice vinegar, which are balanced out by nature’s ultimate sweetener – dates. And, not to forget the star of this Asian Alfredo sauce, fresh garlic – whose raw bite becomes fragrant and mellowed out as the sauce cooks with the noodles.
Asian Alfredo Noodles
Notes
Recipe inspired by This Rawsome Vegan Life.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbsp.)
- 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 2 Tbsp. almond butter
- 4 Tbsp. white miso
- 6-7 dates, pitted
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water, as needed to make the sauce smooth
For the rest of the dish:
- 7 oz. (1/2 a package) stir-fry rice noodles
- Vegetables of choice, to serve (such as: sliced red bell pepper, edamame, steamed broccoli, mixed frozen veggies)
- Hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds), to top (optional)
Instructions
- Bring large pot of water to boil. Add salt, turn off heat, then add noodles. Soak for 8-10 minutes or as directed on package.
- Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender; blend until smooth.
- Once softened, drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water for 10 seconds.
- Pour the sauce into the same pan used to cook the noodles. Warm over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you can smell the garlic.
- Add the noodles back into the pan with the sauce. Stir gently to coat and warm the noodles.
- Serve immediately with desired vegetables; sprinkle with hemp seeds (if using).
Nutrition information includes 1 tsp. hemp hearts topping per serving; does not include any side vegetables.