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!
Asian Noodle Bowls
Description
Asian Noodle Bowls are quick, tasty and will satisfy your craving for takeout in 30 minutes or less!
Ingredients
- 1/2lb rice noodles
- 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 hot you want it)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2lb frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons grapeseed or other high-heat oil, divided
- 1 zucchini, sliced in half then into half moons
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 green onions, chopped and divided
- 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
- fresh chopped cilantro
Directions
- Pre-soak rice noodles according to package directions. In a small bowl combine tamari, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, and fresh ginger then stir to combine and set aside. Whisk eggs and sesame oil together in a small bowl then set aside. Pat shrimp dry between layers of paper towels then set aside.
- When rice noodles have 10 minutes left to soak, heat 1/2 Tablespoon oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until cooked through, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Remove to a plate then heat another 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok, saute remaining shrimp, and then add to plate.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the wok then add zucchini and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and then stir fry until just barely crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and half the green onions then stir fry for another 30 seconds. Push the vegetables to the sides of the wok to create a well in the center then add the egg and sesame oil mixture. Let sit for 30 seconds then scramble, and then mix to incorporate into the vegetables.
- Drain then add rice noodles to the wok and toss to combine. Add sauce then turn heat up to bring to a boil and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until rice noodles are tender. Add shrimp back into the wok then toss to combine. Divide noodles between bowls then top with reserved green onions, chopped peanuts, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- I use A Taste of Thai Chili Garlic Pepper Sauce, which is gluten-free.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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!
I love such quick and delicious meals!
Looks like a super fun weekend! It was hot here as well and I loved every single second of it! So funny as well, I have been CRAVING Asian Noodles and wanting to find a new recipe, so perfect timing!
Fun weekend and great weather for it!
Have you tried Noodles and Company? I saw yesterday that they have gluten free options and they have a couple very good Asian options.
I haven’t eaten there since I got Celiac Disease – they can’t guarantee their GF options are 100% GF because of cross contamination, unfortunately! :(
I love, love, love chewy Asian noodles with shrimp, and this recipe looks easy and delicous! Pinned :D
I think I would die if I ever heard some slurping like that! Ha! And I would definitely never get the guts to do it either! But I would totally 100% make these noodle bowls!! They look KILLER. Pinned!!
Hi Kristin! Fellow West Des Moinian here–you simply MUST tell me where that splash park is. My little guy would be in hog heaven. :)
I’ll email you, Christine!
I just bought a bunch of frozen shrimp and needed a meal to make, this is perfect!
Another West Des Moinian here. Agreed, where is that splash pad! I know a few in Des Moines, but would love something closer.
Awesome recipe! This looks scrumptious, as usual. I love anything with saucy noodles, veggies, and eggs!
Love the mostly empty bar…where a toddler can run around…would you mind sharing where this is? :)
I’ll email you, Amy!
I live in western Urbandale..can you send me the bar and splash pad name? :) They look fun!
Is it weird I tried to lick the screen? ;)
Also, I’m like you when it comes to summer. I try to be outside as much as possible. I endure nasty Midwest winters to get to the glorious summers.
Not weird at all… ;)
These look great! There is gluten-free soy sauce though, I’ve gotten at my HyVee before when cooking for a friend. I didn’t really explore how the taste compared though or how it is different than the tamari you said you used. I think it is supposed to be a bit cooler this week for us…. perfect summer weather?
Hey Kate! Tamari is like “Kleenex” – it’s a style of soy sauce that’s brewed without wheat, so soy sauce manufacturers (like Kikkomen) call tamari “gluten-free soy sauce” even though it’s just tamari. Was that as clear as mud?!
In my opinion Tamari tastes 100% better than regular soy sauce. I think because it is fermented longer or something, but it definitely has more notes and depth of flavor. I always hated soy sauce because all I could taste was salt. When we went gf 7 years ago we started buying San J Tamari and now we go through many, many bottles of it a year. :)
I agree – San J is the ultimate! ?
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So glad I found your blog!
I love using rice noodles! My family isn’t gluten free but some extended family is. It’s nice to have good recipes so we can invite them over! Love!
Kristin! I made this last night and we absolutely devoured it! I left out the shrimp and pumped up the veg with some added broccoli, and it was totally slurpable. Thanks for the fantastic weeknight recipe! :)
I made this last night for dinner and it was awesome sauce. No really, the sauce was pretty awesome.
My husband is allergic to shellfish so I used chicken but I don’t think meat is necessary. The noodles, sauce and veggies offers plenty of food and flavor.
Although if I did make it with chicken again, I’d probably use ground chicken for a better consistency.
I will be making this again very soon and often. In the meantime, I’m eyeballin’ the leftovers I brought for lunch…
I made this for dinner Monday night and it was a BIG hit with my family–really, they went on and on about how good it was and said I should plan to make it weekly. I reheated the leftover noodles (no leftover shrimp!) and added some more veggies and leftover stir fried pork strips for dinner on Tuesday. Tuesday was good with the pork, but the fresh noodles with the shrimp were definitely better.
I make a lot of your recipes and they are always a hit with my family. I have one gluten-free husband and a dairy free teenager, so most of your recipes work well for all of us. Thank you!
Hi Kristin, thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. This is delicious and mouth watering.
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I pinned this! Yum!
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This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it! One question for you- my little brother is allergic to peanuts. Do you have any nut substitute recommendations for the peanuts?
Thanks!
Hi Kristi! You can just leave the peanuts out!
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I added half a lime worth of lime juice and it added just a little extra kick. I love it, my boyfriend loves it, and it makes the house smell amazing! Absolutely will make this again, thank you!
Made this Saturday night. Turned out good and we loved the flavor- though I probably needed to do a little better job at soaking the rice noodles. My husband said “Ah well, you will get better when you do it next time.” So I think we have a new dish for our rotation. Pretty quick to throw together and super fast to cook. Perfect for summer.
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Made this for dinner tonight..delicious! I have never used rice noodles before and didn’t realize how easy they are to prepare! Will definitely be using them more often. I used 1T of the chili garlic sauce and it was plenty spicy. I didn’t read some of the comments til later so will have to try the lime next time. I bet this would be good with chicken cutlets also.
My entire family loved this recipe! My daughter is gluten and dairy free so it is difficult to find meals for the whole family to eat together that everyone enjoys. This was a winner! Instead of the shrimp I grilled chicken and tofu and served it on the side. I will be making this agin very soon!
This was pretty awesome. To spicy for the kids at the lowest heat level so had to make another batch without it for them. They loved it!
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Someone sent me this recipe because I had talked about my gluten free cooking adventures. This was an absolutely awesome dish! It took me a long time to cook but maybe I am just slow. Having to peel and devein shrimp is no easy task! Personally I would double the veggies next time and use half the chili paste, it was way too spicy for me. Wimpy I guess! Ha ha. Thanks for the great recipe, it’s a keeper. 0.
This looks ah-mazing! The only drawback to this recipe is…I’m not a big fan of zucchini (I know…don’t hate me!). Could you recommend other veggies that would work well with this dish? I was thinking maybe bok choy or a traditional stir fry veggie mix. What do you think?
Yep, I think those would be great, or steamed broccoli would be really nice too!
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Saw this in your greatest hits email and made it tonight! I think I let my noodles in the water too long (didn’t set a timer) and they ended up slightly gummy. Even with my error this dish KILLLLLLLLED IT. I skipped the shrimp and zucchini since both were top dollar at my grocery. Also, I totally took a trail mix and plucked out peanuts and cashews. Silly but I rolled with it. Great great great recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you love it so much, Jenn! Thanks for the feedback!
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we are not gluten-free… can I use linguine instead?
Sure!
made this last night, using linguini and soy sauce (we are not GF) and omitted peanuts. It was SO good, and the instructions lead you through all the prep. This will go in our rotation. Next time, with chicken!
I’m so glad the recipe was easy to follow and the results were tasty, too!
Just made this tonight. SO delicious! It was really easy to make, too. I only used 1 tbsp of the chili garlic sauce and it was just the right amount of heat! My husband said it’s like going to Mongolian BBQ, only better. Thank you!
That’s awesome, Meghan! And much cheaper than actually going to Mongolian BBQ! ;)
This was really good. My son really liked it. He said it tasted like it came from an Asian restaurant. Wow! That’s a big compliment coming from him! Thanks for sharing.
Love it!
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Once again, another great recipe! Thank you!
This was absolutely delicious!
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Oh my….this was delicious!! I can finally take care of my Asian Noodle craving! I’m not so great with peanuts, so I substituted chopped cashews and YUM! Thanks Kristin :)
This looks so good. Where did you buy your nice white bowls? I’ve been looking for big soup bowls like this for noodles and having a hard time finding them.
I think I just got those at Target, actually!
[…] Asian Noodle Bowl by Iowa Girl Eats […]
Made this tonight–it was great!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Natalie!