Creamy Asian Tahini Noodles… Nom Nom Nom!

by Hayley Shwaizer, CNP

The ultimate vegan comfort food! I’ve made this dish for a few dinner guests now and I’ve gotten rave reviews. There are a few steps to this recipe, but they’re well worth it. You can buy soba noodles and dried seaweeds in the health food sections of a quality supermarket, online or at your local health food store. Tahini or sesame paste can also be found at the aforementioned shops or at specialty Middle Eastern shops.

 

1                      250g packet of brown rice soba noodles (king soba is my favourite brand), cooked as per package instructions

2 cloves                       garlic, diced

1”                     piece of ginger, grated or finely diced

½ tsp               dried red chili flakes

½ cup              tahini (sesame paste)

¼ cup              tamari/soy sauce

1  cup              dried arame sea vegetable

¼ cup              pine nuts, toasted (approx. 5-10 minutes – medium-low heat on the stovetop)

Vegetables      Whatever you have on hand that you might add to a stir fry such as: onion, celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, bean sprouts, dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, bok choy, or all of the above!

1. Wash and chop up your vegetables, soak the arame in filtered cold water, drain after 5-10 minutes, and set aside (note – you can use the discarded seaweed water to cook with for added nutrients!)
2. Bring a pot of filtered water to a boil and cook you noodles as per package instructions, rinse noodles in cold water, drain and set aside
3. In a separate pot add a little water (instead of any cooking oils) to your garlic, ginger, onion, carrots and dried red chili flakes and put on a medium heat for 5 minutes (note – if you want to use a cooking oil I suggest coconut oil)
4. Give it a stir, then add your other vegetables EXCEPT for the leafy greens, cook for 5-8 minutes
5. Turn off the heat, then add a touch more water, the tamari/soy sauce, tahini, leafy greens, pine nuts, and noodles, stir it up and cover for 5 minutes then serve!

Additional touches

For even more protein, add hemp hearts at the end (they should not be cooked). You could also add some toasted sesame oil, hot sauce, kelp/dulse flakes, sea salt and/or pepper at the table for additional flavours.