Peanut noodles with Seitan (plus a "cheaters" version)

I love doing variations on stir fried noodles with lots of vegetables. Basically, I use the same collection of vegetables but play around with the sauce. In this case it's rich, thick peanut sauce. The basic sauce isn't too complicated to make, but I also offer a "cheating" version of it at the end, for a really quick meal.

In making this recipe I used seitan, a vegan meat-replacing product made from wheat gluten (the protein in wheat). I've only recently started using it, and I find it has a nicer flavor and texture than tofu. However, you can use tofu if your prefer, or skip it altogether, maybe adding some egg as a protein source.

You can, of course, use whichever vegetables you prefer. These are the ones I like. 

Peanut noodles with seitan

Ingredients (for 2 portions): 

- 1/4 pounds (125 grams) rice noodles (or other noodle of your choice)

- 1/2 bell pepper, sliced. 

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced (I prefer red onion) 

- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, somewhat de-seeded and sliced.  (If you remove all the seeds there will be almost no heat, so I like to leave a little bit). 

- handful of snow peas, sliced into 1 inch (2 cm) long slices. 

- 1 small can of pineapple chunks in natural juice, drained.

- 1 package of seitan, cut into small chunks. 

- 2 tsps oil

- handful of peanuts, for garnish 

For the Sauce:

- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil 

- 1/4 cup of peanut butter

- 1 tbsp red curry paste

- 1/2 cup coconut milk

- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

- 1 tbsp water

- seasoning: curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper

Or, for "cheaters" sauce:  

- 1/2 can of light coconut milk 

- 1/2 small jar (about 100 grams or 3 tablespoons) of a commercial "peanut satay sauce" (I used 'A Taste of Thai's" satay sauce, which is vegan and gluten free). 

- seasoning - chili powder, salt, pepper (as needed) 

The reason for using satay sauce rather than a "peanut sauce" mix is that it tends to be more flavorful. 

Preparation: 

1. cook noodles according to instructions until they are prepared. Drain and run cold water through the noodles, to prevent them from sticking. 

2. Prepare the sauce. For regular version:  heat the (1 tbsp) of oil in a saucepan. Add the peanut butter and curry paste and cook, stirring, until they are melted and incorporated into one another. Add the coconut milk and soy sauce and sit, bringing to slow boil. Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan, and simmer for 8 minutes or so. Add the water and season to taste, continuing to cook for a few more minutes.  

For the "cheaters" version: Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan. Add the satay sauce and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes, until the satay sauce is fully incorporated into the coconut milk. Taste the sauce and correct seasoning (I had to add a bit of chili powder for additional heat). Cook for a few more minutes on low heat. stirring occasionally.

2. Heat the (2 tsps) oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic until it is golden. Add the seitan and cook until it is lightly browned and looks a bit "crunchy". Add the vegetables and pineapple and continue stir-frying until they are just beginning to cook, but still fresh and crunchy. 

3. Add the cooked noodles and the peanut sauce to the wok and stir to make sure that the noodles are coated with sauce and the vegetables and seitan are spread throughout the noodles (a good trick for this is using tongs rather than just a spoon). Garnish with roasted peanuts. 

Enjoy!