Asian Noodle Bowls are quick, tasty, and will satisfy your craving for takeout in 30 minutes. Slurpy and savory — they are a treat!
Did you know that in Japan it’s customary to audibly slurp your noodles with abandon?
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 Sweet Potato Curry, Easy Chicken Fried Rice, and Beef and Broccoli, but have never tackled the all-mighty noodle bowl — until now!
What’s Inside
Chewy 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. The combination of flavors and textures 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 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.
Heat vegetable oil or canola oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat then stir fry 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 chopped zucchini and grated carrots in 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 chopped green onions and 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 eggs whisked with 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 consisting of:
- LOW-SODIUM gluten-free Tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten free)
- Brown sugar
- Chili garlic sauce
- Freshly grated ginger
Stir fry until the noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes, then add the shrimp back in and toss to combine.
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. Now we just need a gluten free fortune cookie… ;)
Enjoy!
More Take Out Inspired Recipes
- Potsticker Noodle Bowls
- Beef and Broccoli
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles
- 1/2 cup gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or soy sauce if not GF
- 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 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 green onions, chopped and divided
- 1/2 cup peanuts, minced
- fresh chopped cilantro, for topping
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, 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 the plate.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the wok then add zucchini and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and 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 stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until the 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
- Make sure and follow the directions on your specific package of noodles.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
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 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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
I pinned this! Yum!
http://xoxobella.com/
Hi Kristin, thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. This is delicious and mouth watering.
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!
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…
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 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!