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Vegan (!!) Lemon-Teriyaki Shrimpz Stir-Fry Noodles w/ Bell Pepper

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Vegan what?? Vegan Shrimpz! Yes, you read correctly! And no, we are not doing any boring vegan fish alternative here but an incredibly delicious one, that actually tastes like the real deal! To make these Shrimpz taste even more delicious, we are combining them with saucy noodles with a lemony twist and fresh veggies. The combination is a real dream. And trust me, you will miss nothing in here.

I totally understand if this is a bit suspicious to you and you have some worries regarding the taste in a vegan fish alternative. I totally understand it because I have been there too. Nonetheless, I gave Vegan Zeastar Shrimpz a shot and I am super happy I did – because I was totally convinced. All in all I would say that they probably taste somewhere between 85-90% like ‚real‘ Shrimpz. The only difference is that these have a slight lemon flavour to them and are a bit softer texture-wise.

What is special about this dish?

First of all, we have the vegan Shrimpz, which already are very special. If you want to read more about those, skip to the next paragraph. Besides these though, there also are a few other aspects that make this dish kinda special. For example the teriyaki sauce. It is not the regular sweet and salty teriyaki sauce that you get with your favourite takeout dish. In here we are adding fresh lemon juice to the mix, which gives it a surprisingly good and super tasty flavour. It lightens everything up and adds a fresh note.

What is more, this recipe is really incredible versatile! In here the recipe calls for bell peppers and green beans because it is what, in my opinion, goes best with the sauce and the Shrimpz. If you do not happen to have these veggies at home however, you can easily substitute them for other ones like broccoli, carrot, zucchini, asparagus, peas – whatever you can find! Also the protein source can be altered and switched to chicken, tofu, or something else if you wish to do, although it definitely tastes best with these vegan Shrimpz!

Vegan Shrimpz? Really?

Nothing beats some crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, delicious shrimps, right? Well it definitely is a dream tastewise, but after having watched Seaspiracy, you know that fish consumption definitely is not a dream from a sustainability perspective (Seaspiracy is a documentation about the fishing industry and its dramatic consequences). Fortunately, we do not need to destroy our oceans and environment in order to have that delicious shrimp flavour. How so? By opting for vegan fish alternatives like Vegan Zeastar!

I too was a bit suspicious when I prepared the Shrimpz for the first time. Given that, it was twice as surprising that these Shrimpz really resemble the taste of real shrimps very, very well. They are mainly made out of starch, water, soy and lemon, which makes it even more fascinating in my opinion! When you purchase them, they come already covered in breadcrumbs, which not only saves you time and work but also is extra delicious!

Vegan Zeastar offers a variety of other products too, including vegan Sashimi and Calamari, however the shrimpz are my favourite from what I have tried so far. All products also are super easy to prepare, which I believe is amazing!

Where to find them?

In Austria you can find the Vegan Zeastar products, including the Vegan Shrimpz at the SPAR supermarket in the frozen section!

how to make this dish – and how to prepare these shrimpz?

Both are way easier than they may seem at first. To make the stir fry, all it essentially comes down to is to chop the veggies, fry them in a pan, mix the teriyaki sauce, boil the noodles and mix it all together! Really not complicated, is it? Also making the sauce is not complicated since you only need to mix ingredients you probably have at home anyway!

the shrimpz: 3 different ways of making them

The package suggests that you deep fry them. Nevertheless, I tried 3 different version of preparing them and they all turned out to taste equally delicious: deep frying, semi-deep frying and oven baking.

  1. Deep-frying: this is the preparation method the package suggests. To do this we need to add about 4 cm of oil to a pan, enough that the Shrimpz can swim in it. In order to fry them, the oil needs to be super hot. If it is not hot enough, they will only soak up the oil and not turn out crispy. So be patient with heating up the oil and once hot, fry the Shrimpz for about 2 minutes on each side until golden-brown and crispy!
  2. semi-deep frying: for this method less oil is used, only about one centimeter. The remaining process is the same as it is for deep-frying, just that it probably takes about 4 minutes for each side!
  3. oven baking: if you want to go for this method, just drizzle the Shrimpz with oil and bake them at 225°C for 20 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes

My preferred method definitely is oven baking because 1) it is the easiest to make with the least work, 2) it is the healthiest method since the least fat is used and 3) there is no food waste (when deep frying food, usually most oil is wasted). And really, there barely was any difference in taste. However, deep frying them definitely is the quickest way to prepare them.

Is dish dish healthy?

Yes! Because of its high veggie content, it is loaded with fibre, vitamins and nutrients. The bell peppers are packed with Vitamin C, making sure your immune system stays healthy throughout the cold season. Also the homemade teriyaki sauce definitely is healthier than store bought one since you really know and can decide what goes into it. Plus, the noodles not only give you a very comforting feeling but actually provide carbs, so you stay full of energy!

A MUST MAKE!

No matter whether you are vegan or not, you really need to try this recipe! It tastes SO incredibly delicious, is full of flavour and so easy to make! Definitely a new staple recipe at our house! Also, I can only highly recommend you try these Shrimpz, even, or especially, if you are a non-vegan!

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Vegan Lemon-Teriyaki Shrimpz Stir-Fry Noodles w/ Bell Pepper

These neither are your regular Shrimpz, nor is this your regular stir fry. In the recipe the classic Teriyaki sauce is taken next-level with a lemony twist and the Shrimpz are veganized since we are using Vegan Zeastars Shrimpz. A must make for all vegans and non-vegans!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, Chinese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 3 servings

What you will need

  • 1/2 each red, yellow & orange bell pepper
  • 250 g green beans
  • 250 g rice noodles (glas noodles)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • one package Vegan Zeastar Lemon Shrimpz
  • oil for frying/ baking

For the teriyaki sauce:

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tsp sriracha or chili sauce

How to

  1. Start by heating up the oven to 225°C. Place the frozen Shrimpz on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and generously drizzle them with oil. Bake them for about 20 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes.

  2. In the meantime wash and chop the bell peppers into thin strips, cut off the ends of the green beans and half them or chop them into bite-sized pieces. Peel and finely mince the garlic and ginger.

  3. In a pan heat up 2 tbsp of oil and fry the ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant before adding in the remaining veggies and sautéing them on high heat for about 2 minutes. Turn down the heat and let them soften for roughly 5-10 minutes.

  4. Bring a pot with water to a boil and prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. Usually they need to cook around 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them under cold water (so they do not continue to cook).

  5. Mix all ingredients for the sauce and add into the pan with veggies along with the drained noodles and give everything a good mix so it is all combined. Divide onto bowls, top with the prawns and enjoy!

I would love to know how you like this recipe, so feel free to let me know here in the comments or through Intsagram! Have fun cooking!
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Vegan Rice Noodle Salad with Best Crispy Tofu

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I love noodles prepared in any way. No matter if pasta in Italy, Suppennudeln in Austria, Ramen in Japan, or Pad Thai in Thailand. And because I know that we are all starting to get a little sick of the fall vegetables I decided to share a more summery recipe to boost your mood with this weather.

To be honest, I am not a Pasta Salad lover, I definitely prefer warm pasta over cold one, which also is the reason that this is a “warm pasta salad”! Especially with Glass Noodles I find that they often happen to stick together which I am no fan of at all. This super delicious dish is made with whole bunch of different vegetables and a lot of nutrients! 

The pasta dish itself is made out of glass noodles, also called rice noodles, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and brussel sprouts. This is what I usually have in the fridge on a daily basis and what most people have too. I love using these ingredients because I can just cook this meal from scratch without having to go to the shop, whenever I want. If you happen to have different vegetables in the fridge constantly such as celery or bean sprouts or whatever, you can just use those. This is what I love about this, it is super versatile because it is not a “traditional pad Thai recipe”.

When it comes to the sauce, let me tell you, it is super addicting! I do not only use this for the Pad Thai but also for dips, as bowl or salad dressing, or to coat in stir-fries. It is so good and tangy and just pairs so well with the rice noodles because they soak it all up and take on the flavor. To make it you have to add a few ingredients to the food processor which are peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, (vegan) fish sauce, ginger, scallions, and honey. Simply blend it all up and its done! Pretty simple-what?

This sounds pretty mouthwatering so far, don´t you think? But, I promise, we haven’t reached the best part of the dish so far: the crispy tofu. I know, the non-vegans out there are probably going to think, “oh no, not another one who is trying to convince me that Tofu is good! It is just plain and tastes like nothing!”. Yes, I get what you are saying and I have had that before too, but I tell you, try out this recipe and you will be convinced opposite! This way to prepare tofu is so delicious and super easy and quick too! Literally 10 minutes!

To make this incredibly tasty Tofu you first need to buy firm or extra firm tofu. Once you decide to make it, take it out of the package and take a few pieces of kitchen roll and lay them out on a flat surface. Add the tofu on top and place a few pieces of kitchen above it. Take a heav weight, this can be a book, a cutting board or whatever you have on hand, and put it on top. If you let that stand for about 5 minutes, the water will go out of the tofu and you will be left with some firmer and less moist tofu. If you do have a tofu press at home, you can skip this step and use it!

Next we need to cut it and coat it into small pieces, I like them to be like 1cm cubes but that is totally up to your preference. Coat them in some cornstarch. This will help the Tofu crisping up when in the pan. Now heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Sesame oil works best here because it has a really nice flavor which goes very well with this. Once hot, add in the tofu and you will be able to watch it get crispy on the outside. Stir it around and let it fry for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and really crispy. We are almost done, but now we have to add some flavor. This actually makes the tofu. While it is still in the hot pan, we add some sauce. I love to use a wok sauce but you can also go for soy sauce, stir-fry sauce, hoisin sauce or whatever you love. You can find these pre made sauces at any supermarket. Once added the sauce we let the tofu cook for another 2 minutes.

Now we can assemble the noodles, top with the tofu, some fresh scallions, peanuts and sriracha for that extra kick! I honestly love this dish as a quick lunch or light dinner. It gives me some summer vibes because of all the different colours and is super delicious. I hope that you will like it to and if you decide to recreate it be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere! Also, it would mean a whole lot to me if you would leave a comment and rating under the blog post! Thank you very much and enjoy!

XX

Katie 

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Rice Noodle Salad with Best Crispy Tofu

A delicious Pad-Thai-ish recipe. Healthy and vegan and really delcious. It is amazing during hot summer days or for all of you who want to get some summer feels druing these days.

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, thai
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 3 servings
Calories 483 kcal

What you will need

For the Base:

  • 150 g Rice Noodles about 0.5cm thick
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 zucchini
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 bell pepper I like to use red one
  • 6 brussel sprouts

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp fish sauce vegan
  • 2 tsp honey or brown sugar
  • 3 cm ginger
  • 2 scallions
  • 1.5 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp Water

For the Tofu:

  • 250 g firm Tofu
  • 2 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

For the toppings:

  • crushed peanuts
  • fresh scallions
  • some hot sauce

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Bring a pot with water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package instructions.

  2. Lay down a piece of kitchen roll down on a flat surface. Add the tofu on top and another piece. Above lay something heavy such as a cutting board or a book and let it press for about 4-5 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile cut the vegetables into thin strips. The thinner the better, because they will be easier to eat with the noodles.

  4. In a small blender add all the ingredients for the sauce and blend until smooth.

  5. Cut up the tofu into 1cm sized chunks. Coat them in the corn starch. Heat up 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Once hot add teh tofu and let it fry for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the soy or stir-fry sauce and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

  6. Meanwhile heat up 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a pan. Once hot add the vegetables and stir-fry them.

  7. By now the noodles should be done cooking. Reserve a little of the cooking water, and drain the noodles. Add them into the pan with the vegetables and pour over the sauce. Add some of the reserved water, it will help everything to combine very well.

  8. Once mixed together seperate it onto the plates. Top it with the Tofu and some crushed peanuts, thinly sliced scallions and some more hot sauce if you like!

  9. Serve and enjoy!