Spicy Peanut Coconut Noodles
By Sarma Melngailis
Posted on GreenChefs here
Peanuts are technically a legume, although you wouldn't necessarily think so considering someone misleadingly named them "peanuts." Make sure you get really fresh, organically grown peanuts. Some debate persists about peanuts having toxicity, but it seems this may be from peanuts that are too old; at any rate, most toxins and other undesirables are washed away in the soaking process. However, if you don't feel comfortable eating peanuts, try this with cashews.
"One of our chefs, Amanda, helped us turn this idea into a really great, flavorful dish. The flesh of young Thai coconuts makes perfect noodles -- although they are soft, they do not stick together and are as easy or easier to eat then regular starchy noodles."
Serves 4
For the spiced peanuts:
1 1/2 cups raw peanuts, coarsely chopped and soaked 4 hours or more
1/4 cup raw honey
2 teaspoons ground chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Drain and dry the peanuts and toss them in a medium bowl with the honey, chili pepper, and salt until well coated. Spread them in one layer on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 115F for 1 to 2 days, until crunchy.
For the peanut sauce:
1/2 cup coconut meat
1 cup coconut water
2 cups peanuts, soaked 4 hours or more
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1 cup chopped ginger
1/2 cup galangal
3/4 cup raw almond butter
2 small red chili peppers, seeds optional
1/2 to 1 cup filtered water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup lime juice
In a high-speed blender, blend all the sauce ingredients except the lime juice until smooth. If using right away, add the lime juice and blend further to combine. If not, store the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Before serving, bring to room temperature and thoroughly stir or blend in the lime juice to thin it out again.
For serving:
2 cups coconut noodles, from about 4 coconuts
1 cup julienned jicama
1 cup julienned green papaya (or green mango)
1 cup julienned bok choy
1 cup julienned French radishes
2 green onions, white and 1 inch green, thinly sliced on a bias
1 large handful cilantro
1 small handful Thai basil
1 tablespoon finely minced red chili pepper
Coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
2 limes, cut in half
In a large bowl, add the coconut noodles, jicama, green papaya, and the peanut sauce and toss to coat well. Add the bok choy, radishes, green onions, cilantro, half of the basil, half of the red chile, a sprinkle of salt, and gently toss. Divide among 3 serving plates and sprinkle with the spiced peanuts and the remaining basil and chili. Drizzle the sesame oil and nama shoyu on the plate around the noodles and garnish with the lime halves (which should be squeezed over the noodles just before eating).
(Hi! - My first post Found my way over here from RFT)
I made this recipe, well, a variation on it, and it is DELICIOUS! If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it...
I made a wilted marinated greens mix of baby bokchoy, kale, yu choy, cilantro, basil and green onions (with the basic shoyu based marinade with sesame oil, ginger and stuff)
I made the spiced peanuts, I had 1/4 cup of raw organic peanuts that tasted horrible plain, so I soaked them in water and namashoyu for 2 hours, tossed them with chilipowder, cayenne and cumin and salt, and dehydrated them for about 2 or 3 hours.. could've done this longer because they were'nt totally crunchy, but tasty!
For the sauce, I blended up a similar mix, using coconut meat and water, but I omitted the peanuts entirely and simply used raw almond butter, with nama shoyu, TONS of ginger, garlic, fresh chile and dried chile flakes, lime juice, basil, a date, dash of sesame oil... I think that was all.
This was the first time I made the young coconut noodles and they are super! I didn't follow the rest of the recipe but I'm sure any way you make it with this super-sauce as a guideline, you'll love it. I will NEVER need to eat cooked thai or curry foods again after this creamy delight
I finally got around to making this and it is as fabulous as you all have been saying!
I skipped the spiced peanuts and subbed the peanuts for macadamias in the sauce which I served on coconut noodles and jicama along with bok choi, red pepper, green onions, cilantro and basil. Yummmmmmmo!
Wow, so many recipes, so little time. I've been eyeing this recipe in RFRW and plan to make it eventually.
Carmella - do you think you could sub cashews for the peanuts? (I can get macs but just prefer the taste of cashews in sauces and recipes)
Also, about galangal, do you find that in your local Asian market? We have a nice Asian market in the North End of Burlington where I can get young thai coconuts. Do you think they'd have galangal? To be honest, I've never heard of it or noticed it before seeing this recipe
Wow, so many recipes, so little time. I've been eyeing this recipe in RFRW and plan to make it eventually.
Carmella - do you think you could sub cashews for the peanuts? (I can get macs but just prefer the taste of cashews in sauces and recipes)
Also, about galangal, do you find that in your local Asian market? We have a nice Asian market in the North End of Burlington where I can get young thai coconuts. Do you think they'd have galangal? To be honest, I've never heard of it or noticed it before seeing this recipe
I love this recipe and have made it 3 times. Galangal was actually a little difficult to locate but I eventually found it at Nino Salvagio's (which is a normal fruit and veggie market). Just call ahead of time cause I wasted gas driving to a few before I actually found it. I never found the french radishes, or thai basil.
I made mine with raw peanuts (however, I think cashews would have worked).
I just recently brought this to a raw food potluck and it was very well liked and accepted.
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Cashews would be totally fine as macs and cashews are virtually interchangeable. You should be able to find galangal in Asian markets. If not, simply sub with regular ginger.
Wow, so many recipes, so little time. Do you think they'd have galangal? To be honest, I've never heard of it or noticed it before seeing this recipe
Joyce; if you can't find 'galangal' **I got some dry and some fresh; don't worry about it! It has a nice flavor but ginger will suffice!
Also Thai Basil I grew some and it had a touch of 'pepper' bite to it! you can use regular basil and a few dashes of black pepper and thai red pepper ! Yum!
I think I remember reading somewhere that it was ok to sub the galangal for ginger.
We like to get together with this other couple who enjoys raw food. They actually introduced raw food to me in the summer of 2007. The wife is an amazing cook and "un cook". So when we have dinner at each others' homes, it's always a wonderful dinner with lots of preparation and thought involved. I'll take a whole day to make food and clean the house for them. It's a big production but lots of fun and we only do it every few months. We're going to have them up in January and I want to find another fancy raw dinner recipe to "WOW" them Maybe this is it! (plus I just love experimenting with creative raw food recipes and making it into a sort of 'art')
Just want to add that this couple is back to eating mostly cooked food with some raw. Yet when they come over to our house, I do ALL raw, maybe hoping to inspire them back to the raw way of eating. I would never lecture or judge anyone about cooked food, but I do believe in leading by example and making the best raw food possible. And I know there is a wealth of amazing recipes here to knock their socks off! hehe
Last edited by J.o.y.c.e : 12-19-2008 at 07:38 AM.
[quote=J.o.y.c.e;45961]Thanks so much for the replies, Ladies!
QUOTE]
Joyce; Just continue to WOW them with wonderful RAW dinners!
for whatever reason; one day they will again do RAW! I know, it's so easy to fall back to SAD as so many people around us are and out of habits, and addictions, and comfort zones, we remember the 'LOCKED IN OUR BRAINS' feelings those foods gave us and we say just this time or just once!
Yayyyyy! One of my favourite vegan, cooked meals is veggies w/ peanut sauce and I was thinking I wouldn't be having that again while I am raw! Now I just need to find raw peanuts, I don't think I've seen them here.
When making noodles from coconut flesh, do I use young coconuts?
Yayyyyy! One of my favourite vegan, cooked meals is veggies w/ peanut sauce and I was thinking I wouldn't be having that again while I am raw! Now I just need to find raw peanuts, I don't think I've seen them here.
When making noodles from coconut flesh, do I use young coconuts?
Kitteh,
Actually we just finished eating Kelp Noodles in Peanut Sauce. YUMMY!!! I'll post the recipe later, as soon as I get a chance to edit the pics.
And yep, you gently scoop out the flesh of young coconuts in as big pieces as you can. Then sliced them into 'noodles'.
Found my way over here from RFT)
Oh, and I love your bowl! 
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