Nutty Noodles with Shrimp
A delicious nutty, garlicky, gingery sauce bathes the noodles, tender shrimp, and stir-fried veggies in this Nutty Noodles with Shrimp recipe. This uses yakisoba noodles but you can use whatever noodles you prefer.
Noodles vs Pasta
What is the difference, really? I’ve always thought that noodles leaned toward Asian cuisine while pasta veered into Italian territory. And upon doing a little Google research (the world has really come to this, hasn’t it?), it seems my assumption isn’t too far off.
Traditional Italian pasta contains semolina, a type of flour made from durum wheat and is coarsely ground. When combined with water (and sometimes egg), the flour comes together in a dough that can be cut, shaped, and cooked immediately or dried for later use. Pasta is almost always served hot.
Noodles can also be made from wheat flour, but that is where the similarity ends. Asian noodles are also made from buckwheat, konjac, mung bean, rice, sweet potato, or tapioca. Just like pasta, the dough is cut, shaped, and either cooked or dried for later use.
However, noodles can be served hot or cold depending on the dish. A good example of this is naengmyeon, a popular cold noodle dish that originated in North Korea where my mom is from. She, along with so many others, fled the north during the Korean War and brought what they could to the south. Thankfully that included recipes and ways of preparing food. After the war, naengmyeon became popular in South Korea and is now served in many Korean restaurants all over the world.
For this week’s recipe I used wheat noodles (because I happened to have them on hand), but you can use whatever noodle you prefer.
Lesson Learned
- The dish is naturally dairy-free and can be gluten-free too by subbing in GF noodles.
- Don’t like eggplant or bok choy? Substitute other veg or leave them out altogether. You’re an adult, so you can do what you want.
- You can use already cooked shrimp if you prefer. Just throw them in at the last minute to warm.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to NYT Cooking for the sauce inspiration.
Nutty Noodles with Shrimp
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Noodles:
- 1 lb yakisoba or other noodles
- 2 Tbsp neutral-tasting oil
- 1 Japanese eggplant, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 baby bok choy, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb frozen shrimp, thawed
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Sambal oelek or garlic chili crisp for serving
Sauce:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 4 Tbsp sesame oil
- 4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp tahini
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
Instructions
- Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Drain, reserving a cup of noodle water, and cover.
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the eggplant and bok choy and stir fry for 5-ish minutes or until the veggies are tender but still have a bite to them (don’t overcook or they will be mushy). Remove the veggies to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, stir fry the thawed shrimp. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until they are just turning pink (don’t overcook or they will be rubbery and you will regret everything). Add the shrimp to the bowl with the veggies and cover.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients in the same skillet over medium heat. Add in the cooked noodles and toss until the noodles are coated in sauce. Add a little of the reserved noodle water if needed to loosen things up. Tip the cooked veggies and shrimp over the noodles.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sambal oelek or garlic chili crisp.
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