Pan-Fried Vegan Noodles with A Basic Green Salad

Pan-fried vegan noodles are so basic and versatile. They are dry, salty, sweet and chewy. The Chinese 5 spice is a game-changer as it adds an ethnic vibe.

Usually at my house, dinner is a giant bowl of chopped greens, dressing, and some kind of starch or grain. The red leaf lettuce is my favorite right now; it's so delicate, bitter but subtle, crunchy, light, and is perfect with a dressing of any kind. My kids LOVE red leaf lettuce; they would eat an entire bowl full without even one complaint. 

How to Assemble A Basic Green Salad

The greens look something like this image. I usually add a dash of lemon and some vegan mayo. Then I add garbanzo beans (uncooked) which add a little extra protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, nitrates, etc. The basic salad is filling and has high water content. No frying, no baking, no sauteeing. It's so easy and simple, right?

The starches I typically add to my greens are usually one of the following:

This combo is really easy to digest, quick, and easy to make on a school night and my kids love it as well, so that's a win. Add some seeds and beans of any kind or some beyond meat or mock meat of your choice (optional).  

This particular Saturday night though I wanted something different. So I boiled ramen noodles, as usual, but this time I sautéed them up in a hot pan with sweet, salty, and spicy ingredients like garlic, [vegan] butter, chili paste, and tamari. It was to-die-for!

Add these pan-fried noodles with a simple chopped red leaf lettuce salad and you've got a bomb-ass healthy vegan dinner for the whole family! I made it twice just to be sure I wasn't crazy and that this was in fact so tasty. So you can trust me on this one. My kids loved them and agreed they are to-die-for. 

Pan-Fried Vegan Noodles Ingredients

Instructions

The list of steps and ingredients looks long, but it really only takes 10 minutes to make this entire dinner. It might take a few extra minutes the first time you make it, once you get the hang of it, it takes no time at all.

First, you want to soak noodles in boiling water. Once they are soft, you'll add them to the hot skillet or wok full of butter, garlic, and onions. Toss. Add tamari and all the spices and toss again. Keep tossing until noodles are really dry and cooked. Garnish with your toasted sesame seeds and herbs.

Recipe Variations and Notes

As I always say, have fun and add your own spices or herbs or ingredients. You might like your noodles sweeter or saltier or spicier. So personalize it how you'd like by adjusting spices and sweetners.

Add tofu to this dish if you'd like or veggies like spinach, water chestnut, or bean sprouts. I added a simple green salad but the options are endless. Garnish with green onion or chili flakes. Note: do not use regular spaghetti noodles. You must use the chow mein style ramen noodle. Or pad thai style. They are totally different in texture and will yield much better results. 

PAN-FRIED VEGAN NOODLES & GREEN SALAD RECIPE

I love these simple pan-fried vegan noodles with chinese five spice. They are salty but sweet and the spices are incredible. Add a green salad for nutrition.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 6 mins

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 3 people

Equipment

• Frying pan or wok

Ingredients

  

Pan-Fried Noodles

• 4 cakes Lotus foods millet rice noodles or ramen noodles of choice do not use regular spaghetti noodles
• 2 tablespoon Miyokos butter or Toasted sesame oil
• 5-6 closes Raw garlic pressed or minced
• ¼ cup Yellow or white onion chopped
• ¼ cup Tamari
• ½ teaspoon Spike seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Style Five Spice 
• 1 tablespoon Sweet Chili Sauce or sub agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce
• garnish Toasted sesame seeds

Green Salad

• 1 head Red leaf lettuce chopped
• 2 tablespoon Vegan mayo
• 1 teaspoon Lemon, juice
• ⅓ cup Garbanzo beans canned and rinsed

Instructions

 

• Boil water. Soak ramen noodles for 3-4 minutes in boiling water OR according to the package. 
• While it's soaking, chop the red leaf lettuce and set it in a bowl. Add the garbanzo beans, mayo and lemon. Toss. Set aside. 
• Warm the butter or oil in a pan with minced raw garlic and chopped onion for about 2 minutes until onion is translucent.
• Add the boiled ramen noodles and toss. Cook for about 1 minute and then add the rest of the spices (agave, tamari, onion powder, chili flakes and chili paste). 
• Toss and cook for about 3-4 minutes until noodles are dry in texture and cooked well. 
• Serve with the greens and topped with toasted sesame seeds or fresh herbs. 

Keyword gluten-free, noodles, vegan dinner, wok