Sunday, January 22, 2012

Kelp Noodle Padthai




I have some really great citrus recipes for you, but first I want to share this padthai. Padthai is one of my absolute favorite dishes. Salty shoyu, tart lime, spicy pepper, crunchy peanuts and refreshing cilantro. The best combination of flavors. Traditionally, it contains fish sauce, which obviously isn't vegetarian. So, I make it at home. The same way for several years, without deviating from my original recipe. Today, I decided to try something a little different. I picked up a package of raw kelp noodles, and set out to recreate the same flavor I love, only in raw form.

For the sauce, I blended up a combination of shoyu, raw almond butter, lime juice, garlic, onion and a natural version of sriracha. I tossed it with the kelp noodles, then added carrot strands, onion, cilantro and chopped peanuts. Once I took a bite, I knew I'd used the right ratios. The sauce was spot on. I also immediately fell in love with the crunch of the kelp noodles. I don't think I'll be making padthai the traditional way anymore.

If you want to make it 100% raw omit the sriracha and add some sundried tomatoes that have been soaked in water, cayenne pepper and a little agave. You can also use bean sprouts, if you like. and if you're not looking to make it raw or vegan, a little tofu or egg would be wonderful.

1 package raw kelp noodles
2 heaping tablespoons raw almond butter
2 small cloves garlic
a small handful of sliced onion
2 tablespoons sriracha
4 tablespoons shoyu
juice of 1 lime
carrot
handful of sliced onion
cilantro
peanuts
lime wedges

Place the almond butter, garlic, onion, sriracha, shoyu and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor. Process until a sauce forms. Toss with the kelp noodles, so that they're coated well. Using a vegetable peeler, peel strands of the carrot (about 1/4 cup). Slice the onion. Tear off the cilantro leaves, and chop the peanuts. Toss everything together, and garnish with lime wedges.

serves 4.


9 comments:

Veggie Tales said...

I have only made Pad Thai once but the recipe I followed had a seemingly endless list of ingredients for the sauce, and the end result didn't have the same sweet tangy flavor like the Pad Thai I've had in restaurants. I haven't tried it since, but this recipe looks like it's a lot less prep work (and shopping) and worth a try; I'm excited to try kelp noodles.

Gorgeous photos too.

Keri Ronk said...

What brand of natural sriracha did you use? I recently tried sriracha and it was yummy but the ingredients aren't stellar!

casey said...

YUM! ...Wowzers this looks delicious! Where did you find your version of natural sriracha??

the dizzle said...

i can't wait to try this recipe although tonight by coincidence my mansy decided to make pad thai using what we have. for the sauce he used agave, orange juice, soy sauce and sauteed garlic/onions ... it came out really well in case you're ever out of ingredients. not quite as tangy but better than store bought sauces.

Megan Joy said...

Keri and Casey - The brand is Sky Valley. I found it at Whole Foods! It's the only vegan version I've ever seen.

Unknown said...

Wow, this sounds amazing! Can't wait to give it a try.

Kate said...

I tried kelp noodles for the first time a Matthew Kenney OKC this summer. I bought some but couldn't get the sauce quite right. I'll have to buy more noodles so I can give yours a try!

Healthtec Software said...

Love the orange combinations...and the carrots which we do not prefer much can be nicely hidden specially for the children.Electronic Medical Records

Unknown said...

I thought about trying this recipe but it looked complicated so I just ordered it form restaurant. Result was a solid and taste is like wow. Chinese and Indian restaurant