Rainbow Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce is a craveable nutty tangle of colourful vegetables and noodles. Topped with slices of turmeric tofu, tasting is believing. This recipe serves 3-4, with options given for customising and super-sizing to your needs. Why not put it on this week’s menu?
This is our kind of weeknight dinner: slippery noodles and colourful vegetables, tossed with a one-step sauce that is kissed with fieriness via China and your condiment cupboard. And not forgetting of course the hot planks of golden tofu. All in all this is a most satisfying meal. Not only is it uber-nutritious, it tastes helluva good going down. Warm, earthy and supremely comforting.
Mind you, one can’t be in a desperate hurry. It’s not like pouring boiling water over instant noodles and chucking in some leftover veg (although I am totally up for that sometimes). This recipe involves a bit of multi-tasking. But once made, and you are sitting on the sofa curled up with a fragrant bowl, you will be glad. And your tummy will be full of lip-smacking, nourishing food. Just park a wee glass of rosé at your elbow to get your through the prep and all will be well, I promise.
But this Food To Glow Rainbow Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce is not complicated. Steps can be amalgamated. You most definitely want to cook the eggplant (or cauliflower) and tofu at the same time: pop both on a baking tray and set and forget for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, you can whisk up the all-in – and quite fiesty – peanut butter sauce, popping a lid on to keep it warm. Then it is a case of grating and slicing a few vegetables, and boiling up the noodles. Mostly. There is a little more to it than this but, as I said, not complicated.
So, what is in this Rainbow Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce?
Brown rice noodles (or whatever kind you have) – use shirataki noodles, or just all cabbage, if keeping it low-carb
Fermented or plain firm organic tofu (I love Taifun brand fermented tofu) OR salmon
Eggplant (a third of a medium globe one) or cauliflower
Carrot
Cabbage (red or white)
Spring onions
Fresh red chilli (optional)
Natural peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) OR other nut or seed butter
Soy sauce or coconut aminos
Fresh lime
Chiu chow sauce * (this adds the fire; grab a jar at your local supermarket – it keeps for ages) – or make your own chiu chow sauce
Garlic
Turmeric
Pepper
Ginger
Oil
Herbs such as basil and coriander/cilantro – optional (I forgot mine for the images!)
{* Chiu chow sauce can sometimes contain fish. Check the label if you need to keep things vegetarian/vegan.}
Once all of your ingredients are out on your counter, just follow the instructions in the recipe card below and dig in to a most sublime, flavour-layered and colourful dinner.
Feel free to play around with this recipe. Make it spicier. Leave out the chiu chow sauce and use sriracha instead. Skip the heat altogether and add a touch of sweetness instead. Even ditch the noodles for an all-veg affair. Or use leftover roast vegetables instead of fresh. It’s your call. Just do pop this rich and comforting vegan dinner on your menu. 🙂
A few other “Dinner” Noodles on Food To Glow
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tagliatelle
Honey-Harissa Greens with Black Bean Pasta
Butternut Squash and Tofu Laksa Curry Bowl
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Alfredo
Lentil Bolognese (we love this!)
…and check my Index under “Grains” for loads more!
Let me know in the comments below what you think about this Rainbow Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce, and if you have any questions. I love to hear from you, and really value your input on what I’m making here on Food To Glow. 
Rainbow Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce
Luscious spicy peanut butter sauce tossed through a rainbow of vegetables, turmeric tofu and noodles. Vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce
- 5 tbsp peanut butter smooth or crunchy
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp chiu chow sauce
- 2 cloves garlic grated/minced
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp vinegar Chinese, cider or white wine
- 1 tsp honey optional (I don't use it)
Turmeric Tofu
- 200 g organic tofu firm or extra-firm; sliced into planks
- 1 tbsp oil coconut, olive or palm fruit
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ⅓ eggplant cubed; or 100g cauliflower
Noodles and Vegetables
- 100 g red or white cabbage thinly sliced; more cabbage if you like
- 1 medium carrot grated/spiralised
- 3 spring onions/scallions sliced
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds toasted
- 100 g brown rice noodles or shirataki noodles, or whatever you like
- 1 red chilli sliced; optional
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 200C fan/400F.
Tofu & Eggplant
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Slice the tofu into planks - about 1 cm thick - and the eggplant into cubes. Place the eggplant into a small bowl and rub with half of the oil. Pop this on a baking tray. Pop the tofu into the bowl and toss with the remaining oil, sprinkling with turmeric and pepper. Lay on other end of the tray. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. You can also fry both in a pan, but you will need more oil.
Peanut Butter Sauce
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Add all sauce ingredients to a small saucepan, whick together, and heat over a low flame. Add a drizzle of hot water or vegetable stock if the sauce is too thick (depends on how thick the peanut butter is). Keep warm. You may want to add a bit more water/stock, lime juice or vinegar to thin when serving.
Vegetables
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Thinly slice the cabbage to noodle width; grate or spiralise the carrot; slilce the spring onions; toast the sesame seeds in a small pan until lightly browned; deseed and thinly slice the chilli if using.
Noodles and Cabbage
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Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and add the brown rice noodles and cabbage (can do them separately if you like). Boil until the noodles are just cooked, adding the cabbage when you have two minutes left on the timer. Drain and briefly rinse with cool water. Drain well.
Assemble
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Add the warm peanut butter sauce, spiralised carrots and roasted or sautéed eggplant to the saucepan of noodles and cabbage. Use a pair of forks to lift and turn so that all ingredients are well-coated. Divide between 2-3 bowls. Top the noodle bowls with sliced chilli, spring onions, turmeric tofu and sesame seeds. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Protein Variation: I sometimes make this with fresh, organic salmon instead of tofu. To make this option, take 2-3 fillets or a 1/4 side of salmon and smear with 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, some black pepper that you've mixed with enough oil to make a paste. Wrap in foil and bake at 180C fan/400F for 15 minutes.
Veg options: instead of eggplant, why not use sweet potato, cauliflower or butternut squash? And instead of cabbage, try spiralised zucchini, but keep this raw.
Make it keto: replace the brown rice noodles with shirataki noodles, or use all cabbage for the noodles.
Serving sizes: This recipe makes 3 adult bowls or 2 adult and 2 child bowls of spicy peanut butter noodles.
Add herbs: I forgot to add herbs to the images (!), but feel free to top with torn coriander/cilantro and basil to add another dimension of taste and freshness.
Go large: If you want to increase the numbers served, consider adding one or two extra vegetables - see those listed above - instead of just adding more of the same. Double the sauce and add more veg!
You had me with the spicy peanut butter sauce! It looks so colourful on a grey, autumn day. It cheered me up just looking at it never mind eating it!
Awesome rainbows on a dull day. This looks and sounds fantastic!
mmmm YUM 🙂
This looks Delish!!
Great recipe, Kellie!
Looks so good I can hardly bare to read it as I feel like it right now!
Looks delish!!
Looks very healthy and umami.
Will satisfy my Asian food craving 😍 nice!! Like the salmon option idea too
I made this last Wednesday. Fantastic! Thank you for the inspiration.
Oh thank you Kurstin for this lovely feedback. I am honoured that you made it and grateful that you took the time to let me know 🙂
I used fairly unthick PB yet this sauce kept thickening to a paste despite adding warm water in an attempt to thin it out. Not sure what I did wrong
Hi Lolly. I know what you mean. PB can seize up, which is very annoying. I think mixing less vigorously helps most of the time. Or adding only a small amount to mix with the other ingredients before very gently mixing in the rest with a fork rather than spoon. I hope this helps for next time. And I hope that otherwise you liked the recipe and flavour 🙂