Name: Vegan Lemon-Teriyaki Shrimpz Stir-Fry Noodles w/ Bell Pepper
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp honey or maple; 1 tbsp sesame oil; juice of 1/2 lemon; 2 tsp sriracha or chili sauce

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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.

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!
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!
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!