Noodles with a Spicy Peanut Sauce

It's time to kick your noodle game up a notch! Say hello to these gluten-free, Asian-inspired Noodles with a Spicy Peanut Sauce.

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The Best Noodle Dish

There's something about cold weather that makes me crave spicy noodles. Maybe it's because the spice warms me up and noodles are a total comfort food. Either way, it's always a good idea!

This Asian-inspired noodle dish is just what you need on a cold, rainy day. With gluten-free brown rice pad Thai noodles and a spicy peanut sauce, this dish is the perfect comfort meal to throw together.

The Noodles

Like any gluten-free noodle dish, the noodles you pick matter. Gluten-free noodles are notorious for being temperamental. If you've ever ordered gluten-free pasta while at a restaurant, it's probably come either 1. undercooked and hard or 2. mushy. To make a good noodle dish, you need gluten-free noodles that have a similar consistency to regular noodles.

These brown rice pad Thai noodles are thicker than chow mien noodles, so they hold up better. Also the key to cooking these noodles perfectly is to undercook them. Most box directions will tell you to cook the noodles for 5-7 minutes, butt that will leave you with a mushy mess. Instead, cook the noodles for just three and a half minutes. Then, drain the water and run the noodles under cold water. The cold water will prevent the noodles from continuing to cook.

The Spicy Peanut Sauce

Once the noodles are done, it's time to make the spicy peanut sauce! Start by adding peanut butter, brown sugar, tamari, and water to a medium-sized saucepan. For this recipe, it's best to use a crunchy peanut butter. Whisk the ingredients together over medium heat until they begin to combine. Then, add chili garlic paste, hoisin sauce, minced ginger, lime juice, and two minced cloves of garlic. Once the sauce begins to simmer, turn off the heat but continue stirring the sauce interminably while it cools.

Once the sauce has cooled for about 10 minutes, pour it over the noodles in a large pot. Use metal tongs to toss the noodles and evenly distribute the sauce.

The Vegetables

Now it's time to add in our vegetables! Start by julienning two carrots, one red bell pepper, and half of a zucchini. You want to julienne the vegetables as thin as possible. Then, add the julienned carrots to a medium saucepan with water, a touch of sesame oil, red pepper flakes, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Cook the carrots over medium heat for five minutes, then add the red bell pepper. Continue cooking the vegetables for five to seven minutes until softened.

Then, turn off the heat and add the julienned zucchini. Stir to combine the vegetables, then add to the pot with the noodles in the peanut sauce.

The Air Fried Tofu

There are few things better than air fried tofu. I love air frying tofu because it crisps us the otherwise spongy tofu. I find it also incorporates the seasonings better than sautéing tofu.

To make our air fried tofu, first thing you need to do is prep the tofu. Remove the extra firm tofu from it's packaging, then wrap it in paper towels. Lay the tofu on a cutting board, then place something heavy on top of the tofu. I like to use a cookbook or even my butcher block. This helps expel any water from the tofu, so it cooks much better.

Press the tofu for 10-15 minutes, then unwrap it and discard the paper towels. Slice the tofu into bite size pieces, then add to a medium sized bowl. To season our tofu, we're going to go the sweeter route to compliment our spicy noodles. Add hoisin sauce, tamari or gluten-free soy sauce, honey, and just a touch of red pepper flakes. Toss the tofu to thoroughly coat each piece, then add to an air fryer.

Air fry the tofu at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. At 10 minutes, open the air fryer and use a fork to toss the tofu. This helps the tofu cook more evenly and prevents it from burning. After 20 minutes, add the air fried tofu to the noodles.

The Toppings

Before you serve the noodles with the spicy peanut sauce, veggies, and air fried tofu...

• Edamame: These bright green soybeans are the perfect topping to our dish!
• Peanuts: These chopped nuts are not only a great compliment to the spicy sauce but also add a textural component to our noodles.
• Sesame Seeds: Sesame seeds are a great topping for Asian dishes.
• Cilantro: This herb brings a touch of freshness to the spicy dish.

These are only a few of many toppings that you can add to this dish! Feel free to add more vegetables, Thai basil, or other options.