You know what I love that I don’t eat nearly enough of? Peanut butter. It’s creamy and delicious and the expensive stuff tastes like you just ate a handful of peanuts. There’s nothing about it that I don’t love, except the calories. My life would be complete if I could find calorie-free peanut butter for cookies or international stews, or did I mention cookies?
But my love of Asian food means that occasionally I do give in to my love for peanut butter to make a quick sauce to accompany whatever noodles I’m craving at the moment. Try my Mongolian Fire Noodle recipe!
If you love nuts or nut butters, this is an excellent way to indulge without going overboard, just remember that the key is always…moderation.
This vegan chicken and noodle dish seems small, right? I know, but when you add peanut butter you have to make certain adjustments. It’s still delicious, though. I promise.
This vegan dinner has a few unusual ingredients but I think you’ll find them wonderful additions that make this dish taste like it was made my a professional.
To make this vegan chicken and soba noodle dish, you’ll need:
Vegan chicken
Carrot
Onion
Ginger
Soy sauce
Peanut butter
Scallions (thinly sliced for garnish)
Apricot preserves this is the brand I use and love!
Soba noodles
Sriracha (optional)
That’s it, the full list of vegan ingredients. Now all you have to do is…make it.
Make the soba noodles: Just follow the package cooking instructions. Boil the water or broth and drop the noodles for 4 to 6 minutes. I use about 100 grams for two people.
For the vegan chicken: I recommend baking it in the oven on a high temp for a few minutes, but you can also use the air fryer or just cook it on top of the stove. I didn’t use any oil because these breaded vegan schnitzel have a good bit of oil in them already so more is unnecessary. Cook about 2.5 minutes on each side or until you get a crispy, golden brown breading on top.
For the veggies: Add the ginger first and cook on medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and carrots, cut uniformly, and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn it on low until you’re ready to add the sauce.
For the peanut sauce: Place peanut butter, soy sauce and apricot jam into a bowl, add some of the boiling water from the noodles and stir until smooth. You might need to add more water for a thinner sauce but add it slowly, a tablespoon or two at a time until you get the consistency right. If it ends up to then, you will be tempted to add more peanut butter to get it more sauce-like. If you want a hint of spice, add hot sauce or spices to the sauce before you add the water.
Toss the peanut sauce with the veggies and serve on a bed of soba noodles. Or if you’re feeling really adventurous, add the noodles to the veggies and then toss it all together with the sauce, and the vegan chicken right on top for a tower of goodness.
Garnish with sliced scallions and then get your grub on.
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