Did you know that in Japan it’s customary to slurp your noodles with abandon? Schhhlluuuuuuuuurp. I’ll never forget my first ramen noodle shop experience while living in 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 might give it a try in the comfort of my own home with these delectable Asian Noodle Bowls!
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, right? I’ve recreated some of my favorites like Chicken Fried Rice, Mongolian Beef, and Chicken Lo Mein, 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 than digging my chopsticks into a big bowl of chewy noodles!
What’s Inside:
Soaked rice noodles are stir-fried with zucchini, green onions, garlic, and sesame oil-spiked eggs then simmered in a savory sauce that includes chilis, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar before being topped with chopped cilantro and tons of chopped peanuts.
These Asian Noodle Bowls are a mix of Pad Thai and lo mein and are addictively delicious. This combination is wonderfully satisfying, a cinch to make at home, and will be on the table in about 30 minutes. Forget take out and slurp these incredible noodle bowls in the privacy of your home instead!
How to Make This Recipe:
Start by soaking 1/2lb rice noodles according to package directions. These particular rice noodles need a 25-30 minute soak in piping hot water before being stir-fried.
I let the tap water run until its steaming then cover the noodles in a baking dish.
Prep the vegetables while the rice noodles are soaking then, when the noodles have 10 minutes left, start cooking. First heat 1/2 Tablespoon high heat cooking oil in 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 aside.
Next stir fry 1 chopped zucchini and 1/4 cup grated carrot in 1 Tablespoon oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, until the zucchini is just barely crisp tender, about 2 minutes. The vegetables 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.
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, 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 chopped green onion, cilantro, and lots of chopped peanuts. 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 – enjoy!
Similar Recipes:
- Potsticker Noodle Bowls >
- Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls >
- Chicken Lo Mein >
- Chicken Fried Rice >
- Thai Peanut Chicken and Sweet Potato Noodles >
- Summer Roll Noodle Bowls with Peanut Sauce >
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Asian Noodle Bowls
Description
Asian Noodle Bowls are quick, tasty and will satisfy your craving for takeout in 30 minutes. Savory, garlicky, and just a touch sweet - they are a treat!
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 peeled and deveined shrimp
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons high heat cooking oil, divided
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 green onions, chopped and divided
- 1/2 cup peanuts, minced
- 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.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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! ?
[…] Asian Noodle Bowl from Iowa Girl Eats […]
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!
http://xoxobella.com/
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!
[…] developing my Asian Noodle Bowl recipe a couple months ago I’ve made them at least a half dozen times which is…a lot […]
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!