Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

I recently was invited to participate in another fun #Blogger Recipe contest, this time held by Big Mountain Foods… they sent me a few of their tasty #vegan products to play with and use to create a new #recipe. I absolutely LOVE spicy Asian food and noodle dishes and had a craving for it, so I decided to create these Vegan Kung Pao Noodles for the contest and oh my GOODNESS. They are super delish you guys!

Vegan Kung Pao NoodlesHey, it’s a New Year, so why not try to lighten up a little with some healthier recipes that are meat-free and dairy-free but still have tons of flavor? There’s so many good things in this dish that you won’t even miss the meat, I promise.

Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumbles

 

Big Mountain Foods is an all women-owned company based out of Vancouver, BC. They offer a superb lineup of fresh, vegan, #plant-based products that are flavorful, #gluten-free and #non-GMO/#organic. I used their Lion’s Mane Mushroom Crumbles in this recipe which has a blend of organic lion’s mane, portobello and shiitake mushrooms along with a mixture of other healthy ingredients like carrots, pea protein, yellow split peas, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut oil. They are absolutely delicious and a perfect substitution for ground beef, or ground chicken, with a great umami flavor and nice texture.

Prep ingredients

This recipe for Vegan Kung Pao Noodles is a fun twist on a traditional Asian favorite, Kung Pao. I made it with buckwheat soba noodles, sautéed Lion’s Mane mushroom crumbles, fresh ginger, shallots, red peppers, and water chestnuts tossed in a sweet and spicy Kung Pao sauce (soy sauce, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar and coconut palm sugar and Asian chile garlic sauce) topped with sesame seeds, crunchy peanuts and crispy fried garlic. Oh, the flavors!!!

Stir Fry veggies

First, heat oil in a wok or large pan and sauté the shallots, ginger, water chestnuts and red bell peppers for a few minutes until soft.

Add Mushroom Crumbles

Add the Lion’s Mane Mushroom Crumbles to the pan and cook a few minutes more until heated through.

Add Kung Pao Sauce

Stir in the Kung Pao sauce and let it simmer on low heat for a few more minutes to infuse all the delicious flavors together. Add a little corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce even more.

Stir Noodles and Veggies with Sauce

Toss in the cooked soba noodles and stir to coat. Add in the sesame seeds, peanuts and crispy garlic; mix together into a big pot of sweet and spicy, crunchy goodness.

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

Serve immediately and enjoy with a glass of white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc).

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

Feel free to substitute other pasta for the soba noodles: rice noodles, spaghetti or linguine noodles work great. You can also add an extra teaspoon of chili garlic sauce or drizzle Sriracha sauce on top to kick the heat up a notch…(I absolutely did!!)

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

If you want to experiment with some other veggies, try adding broccoli, carrots, snow peas, or sliced green onions to the stir fried noodles.

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

If you add more veggies, you may need to make a little extra sauce depending on how much you add, so the noodles don’t get too dry. Just play with it and get it to the consistency and flavor you like.

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6

This is a fun twist on a traditional Asian favorite, Kung Pao, with buckwheat soba noodles tossed with sautéed Lion's Mane mushroom crumbles, fresh ginger, shallots, red peppers, and water chestnuts in a spicy savory sauce topped with sesame seeds, peanuts and crispy fried garlic.

Ingredients

  • 1 package buckwheat soba noodles (12 oz)
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
  • 1 package Big Mountain Foods Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumbles
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, julienned
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 (5 oz) can water chestnuts, diced
  • 1 small red pepper, sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Asian chili garlic sauce
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons crispy fried garlic

Instructions

  1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes, until soft. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil; set aside.
  2. Heat additional teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
  3. Add ginger, shallot, water chestnuts and red pepper; sauté for about 2-3 minutes until soft. Stir in the Lion's Mane Mushroom Crumbles and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then lower heat to medium-low.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce (or tamari), sesame oil, apple cider (or rice) vinegar, coconut palm sugar, chili garlic sauce and pour into the skillet with the Mushroom veggie mixture, stir and toss to coat.
  5. Whisk the corn starch and water together and pour into the wok/skillet and mix together well. Let mixture cook for an additional minute or so until the sauce thickens.
  6. Toss in the peanuts, sesame seeds and fried garlic, stir together.
  7. Serve hot immediately, top with additional peanuts and crispy garlic if desired, for garnish.

Notes

Feel free to substitute other pasta for the soba noodles: rice noodles, spaghetti or linguine noodles work great. Add extra tablespoon of chili paste to kick the heat up a notch. You can also add extra vegetables to the stir fried noodles but you may need to make extra sauce so the noodles don't get too dry if adding them.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2022/01/vegan-kung-pao-noodles/

Vegan Kung Pao Noodles

Any way you make these Kung Pao noodles they are absolutely delish and a #healthy vegan dish to kick off the New Year with!

You can find all of Big Mountain’s products online and also in the fresh section of the grocery store, as well as specialty food stores (Sprouts, Whole Foods, etc.) And check out @bigmountainfoods social media pages and website for more info, a store locator and more great recipes!

Website: https://bigmountainfoods.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigmountainfoods/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigmountainfoods/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigmountainfood

#BigMountainFoodsRecipeChallenge #BigMountainFoods #Veganrecipes

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Other recipes you may enjoy:

Spicy Pork Udon Noodle Soup

Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles

Sweet + Spicy Shrimp Noodle Salad

 

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

JSL Foods recently invited me to participate in their 2nd Blogger Recipe Challenge, and guess what? I won the GRAND PRIZE and $1500 for my Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon recipe! And I am so thrilled to share it with you!

Fortune Noodle Udon

I decided to use their delicious Fortune Chicken Udon Noodles as the base for this amazing dish. 

Fresh Ingredients

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken is a traditional Vietnamese dish made with chicken thighs, shallots and red chili peppers,  jalapeños, and cilantro..

chicken and caramel sauce

tossed in a luscious caramel sauce made with brown sugar, fish sauce, vinegar,  red chili garlic sauce, fresh garlic, ginger and freshly ground black pepper, 

Cooked Chicken + Black Pepper Caramel Sauce

all mixed together and reduced in a pan into a gorgeous sticky spicy sweet glaze to coat the chicken.

Cooked Udon Noodles

The noodles are cooked separately, then drained and sprinkled with the packaged chicken-flavored seasoning,

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

then tossed back into the pan with the cooked chicken and sweet savory Black Pepper Caramel sauce.

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

For serving I topped the dish with a dash of Everything Bagel seasoning (you could also just use white or black sesame seeds if you like), a few sliced jalapeños and fresh cilantro for an extra kick of heat and bright flavor.

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

You guys, this noodle dish is to die for!  These Udon noodles are precooked so they only need to be reheated for a few minutes before serving. And they’re perfectly durable for holding this gorgeous thick glaze on the chicken, and full of ALA Omega-3’s, are non-GMO, zero trans fats, with only .5g of fat and 5g of protein in each serving!

Fortune Udon Noodles

You can also try this recipe using their Mushroom or Original Shoyu Udon Noodles for another layer of flavor to mix it up. Try pairing it with an oaky Napa Chardonnay or grassy Marlborough NZ Sauvignon Blanc to balance out the spiciness and sweetness of the dish. Superb!

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

Absolutely delicious…Hope you enjoy! And feel free to comment below and please share this post on social media with the hashtags @artfulgourmet @jslfoods #fortunenudonoodles #cheftyaki #udonsoups

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon Noodles

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4

This is a traditional Vietnamese Chicken dish made with a sticky spicy and sweet caramelized sauce with shallots, garlic, chilies, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and coarse ground black pepper. The chicken thighs are cooked right in the sauce then tossed with Fortune Chicken Udon Noodles and garnished with fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeños for extra heat and bright flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 package JSL Foods Chicken Udon Noodles
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger)
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Asian chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 fresh red chili pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Everything bagel seasoning, garnish Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
  • Sliced jalapeños, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add JSL Foods Chicken Udon Noodles. Cook for 5-6 minutes, and sprinkle with the packet of Chicken seasoning, mixing throughout cooked noodles. Keep warm, and set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, fish sauce, water, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, black pepper, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce; stir together to make black pepper caramel sauce. Set aside.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok pan. Add the shallot and red chili pepper and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside to add back in with chicken and sauce at the end.
  4. Add the black pepper caramel sauce mixture and the chicken to the pan; simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is caramelized for about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the shallots and hot chiles and cooked Chicken Udon Noodles coating them with the sauce and mixing in the chicken evenly throughout.
  5. Transfer Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon Noodles to serving bowls, garnish with everything bagel seasoning, fresh cilantro and sliced jalapenos (if using).

Notes

Pairs well with an oaky Napa Valley Chardonnay or grassy, fresh New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wine to balance out the spicy-sweet flavors of the dish.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2020/02/black-pepper-caramel-chicken-udon/

Black Pepper Caramel Chicken Udon

As an added bonus, Chef Yaki is offering a special discount to my readers by joining their Noodle Club online! Click here get the coupon for special discounts and free offers! 

Chef-Yaki-and-VoidedCoupon

You can purchase Fortune Udon noodle products at Target and Walmart as well as these groceries stores online:   

Learn more about all the other great noodles, sauces, wrappers and other Asian specialties that JSL Foods offers:

Website: http://www.jslfoods.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JSLFoods/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JSL_Foods

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jslfoods/

This post is sponsored by JSL Foods for The 2nd Fortune Udon Noodle Blogger Recipe Challenge. All reviews, opinions, photos, recipes and written content expressed in this post are my own.