Kelp Noodles in Peanut Sauce

[Carmella]

Recently I finally got around to trying the kelp noodles I'd purchased from The Raw Food World a while back. (You can buy them for $3.95 here.)

How to get SOFT kelp noodles!
I soaked mine in water for several hours at first and while they seemed to enlarge in size, they remained crunchy. After some research, I found out that it is key to let them sit in something acidic for a few minutes to get them to soften up. (Don't ask me why but it DOES work!) In my case, since the Peanut Sauce contained some lime juice, I tossed the noodles directly in the sauce and it did the trick.

Most recipes suggest to let them soak up marinade/sauce for about 30 mins. before serving and now I can see why. I ended up leaving mine for an hour on the counter, then popping them in the D for an extra hour and the noodles had that 'overcooked' texture to them. (If you've left pasta cook for too long before, then you know what I mean! )

Still delicious though! Wow, now I can see what the rage is about! They have a very mild/neutral flavor that will go well with virtually any types of sauce. Soooooo many possibilities to play with!

I served mine Pad Thai style with the following sauce and veggies, but for a simpler variation of this, you could skip the veggies altogether.

Kelp Noodles in Peanut Sauce

Serves 4 or 5

1 package kelp noodles

'Peanut' Sauce
3 tbs almond butter
2 tbs tahini
2 garlic cloves
2 1/2 tbs lime juice
1 tbs tamari
1 tbs raw sesame or coconut oil
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Medjhool dates
1/4 cup water (or more, to taste)

Blend until smooth. If necessary, add more water until desired consistency is reached.

Veggies
3 cups sliced baby bok choi
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated daikon
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
2 green onions, sliced

Place rinsed noodles and veggies in large bowl. Toss with desired amount of Peanut Sauce. Let sit on the counter or in the D. for 30 minutes before serving.

Optional: Top with sliced mushrooms marinated in a little olive oil and tamari.

Enjoy!

[Velvet]

mmm this looks so good! I guess tossing them with pesto would not be a good idea then, since it'd oxidize... I might toss them with some olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt to get some flavor in them, and just before serving toss in the pesto itself.

[Carmella]

Huh, sorry if I'm a bit slow but I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to use pesto in this dish? Actually, when I was researching recipes I came upon one with... What was it? Let me think a minute. Right, I'm pretty sure it was pistachio pesto cuz I remember thinking it would be an expensive one to make. My favorite pesto recipe calls for lemon so in this case it would be perfect. All you'd need to do is toss it with the noodles and it would soften them up.

[Velvet]

Oh you're not slow, I just wasn't clear! It's just that blended basil tend to darken quite fast with oxidation. I mean, I assume it's oxidation, which is why when people store their pesto they have to add a layer of olive oil to preserve it. So if the dish has to stand for 30 minutes, it wouldn't be bright green anymore, and I kind of like it bright green

[Carmella]

Oh gotcha!

[Pirawna]

Is Sea Tangle the only brand of these things? It's all I see when I google it. I have called Whole Foods near me twice to see if they carry it and they are completely lost and I get disconnected. *sigh*

I guess I'll have to request my date tomorrow night take me to dinner somewhere near the whole foods and then I can just say, HEY, I need olives, lets go in!