Asian Noodle Bowls

Asian Noodle Bowls are gluten-free, quick, tasty and will satisfy your craving for takeout in 30 minutes or less!

Happy Monday, everyone, I hope you had a wonderful summer weekend!

We have officially entered the dog days of summer around here. Translation = it’s HOT, so Ben, Lincoln and I packed up and headed to a nearby splash pad to cool off on Saturday morning. We love these little splash parks – Lincoln just runs and runs (and runs – seriously, naps are the best after splash parks!) around in the “rain”, as he likes to call it!

That afternoon felt like a good afternoon to go fishing, so we walked to a nearby pond and threw in a line. Ben and I have gone fishing a handful of times in the past five or six years and we’ve only caught one fish. Ever. And that was literally on the first cast of the first trip. Luckily this pond was stocked a sure thing. ;)

Now son, I explained, the best way to catch a fish is to bait your hook with hot dogs then wait. 

We waited.

You should just snap your wrist. chimed in Ben from the sidelines. Hot dogs…

Whatever.

Sure enough, two fish came ashore less than 10 minutes later. Redemption was mine! I mean ours. Redemption was ours! I paid for it by having to get both fish off the hooks and back to their home. Very slimy.

We wrapped the day up with vigorous hand washing and dinner, followed by a nightcap while the little boy ran wild on an empty patio. It was hot out but not that hot (ok it was that hot out.) I’m someone who will sit outside in the summer until my blood starts to boil though. Got to enjoy every minute of it while we can!

On Sunday I had an Iowa Food and Family cookbook event with this gem – Cristen from Food and Swine (pardon the horrendous lighting!) Cristen’s a local food blogger too and I’ve loved getting to know her over the past year since she joined the Iowa Food and Family team. Have you ever heard of a little competition (I’m being sarcastic here,) called Build a Better Burger? She WON the thing in 2013! That said, be sure to check out her blog for tasty homestyle recipes and lots of great baking tips – plus insight into her life as a hog farmer. Great stuff!

It was too nice to spend the rest of the day indoors so we spent Sunday evening at a nearby lake, splashing in the water and trading kisses for berries. :) I can’t get enough of this kid!

Speaking of things I can’t get enough of, hello Asian Noodle Bowls!

Did I ever tell you that in Japan it’s customary to slurp your noodle bowls with abandon? Like, straight up, schhhlluuuuuuuuurp. I’ll never forget my first ramen noodle shop visit was I was living near Tokyo for a summer in college. I ordered a big steaming bowl of noodles then leaned in for a bite and the gentleman next to me let out the loudest slurp I’d ever heard while inhaling a 3″ diameter portion of noodles. I thought I was on candid camera until I heard another slurp, then another, and another. I never got the guts to do it myself while I was over there but tried it at home with chicken noodle soup once and, well, it was hilariously awful. I felt absolutely ridiculous and was covered in broth. Guess I need some practice – which I will be doing with these slurpy, savory noodle bowls from now on!

One of the hardest things to give up since going gluten-free is Asian takeout. Heck even bad Asian take out is still good Asian take out, amiright? Now, I’ve recreated some of my favorites like Chicken Fried Rice, Teriyaki Fried Rice, and Orange Beef, but have never tackled the all mighty noodle bowl. THE NOODLE BOWL. How could I overlook you for so long?

There is nothing more satisfying to me than digging my chopsticks into a big bowl of chewy noodles flavored with soy sauce (or in my case, gluten-free Tamari,) a little bit of brown sugar, chili, garlic, and ginger. The combination is wonderfully satisfying and the great news is that Asian Noodle Bowls are a cinch to make at home whether you need to eat gluten-free or not, and they’ll be ready to go in about 30 minutes. Not even long enough for the delivery driver to get to your house!

Soaked rice noodles are stir fried with zucchini, green onions, garlic, and sesame oil-spiked eggs (if you’ve never tried this combo, get ready,) then simmered in a savory sauce before being topped with more green onions, chopped cilantro and tons of chopped peanuts.

These Asian Noodle Bowls are a mix between Pad Thai and lo mein and are addictively delicious. Although the ingredient list might look a tad long, the majority are fridge and pantry staples that I’ve always got on hand. Tonight, put the phone down and slurp these incredible noodle bowls in the privacy of your home instead!

Start by soaking 1/2lb rice noodles according to package directions. These particular rice noodles needed a 25-30 minute soak in piping hot water before being stir fried.

I just let the tap water run until it was steaming then covered the noodles in a baking dish.

While the rice noodle are soaking, prep the veggies then, when the noodles have 10 minutes left, start cooking! First heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat then stir fry 1/2lb shrimp in two batches (to avoid overcrowding the pan) seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the shrimp to a plate then set them aside.

Next stir fry 1 chopped zucchini and 1/4 cup grated carrot in 1 Tablespoon grapeseed or other high heat oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, until the zucchini is just barely crisp tender, about 2 minutes. The veggies still have a little more time in the wok so they’ll soften as we go along.

Add 2 chopped green onions and 3 cloves minced garlic then, after stir frying for 30 seconds, push the vegetables to the side of the wok to create a well in the center. Add 2 eggs whisked with 1 teaspoon sesame oil then scramble the eggs and toss to combine with the rest of the vegetables. Sesame oil is super pungent so you only need a little to get a great tasting egg.

Finally, add the soaked rice noodles into the wok along with an easy sauce of 1/2 cup low-sodium gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce,) 2-1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 – 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, depending on how spicy you want it, and 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger.

Stir fry until the noodles are tender, about 3-4 minutes, then add the shrimp back in and toss to combine. Seriously, YUM!! I could eat this entire wok!

Scoop the noodles into bowls then top with more chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, and lots of chopped peanuts, and then dig in!

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Salty, chewy, savory – these Asian Noodle Bowls make me feel 100% better about not being able to order take out anymore. Well, except for missing that fortune cookie. ;) Hope you love them too!