It’s my birthday month, so I’m sharing one of my favorites, noodle bowls! In Chinese culture, long noodles are served at birthdays and banquets to symbolize longevity and a long and healthy life. My family has a tradition where you have to eat noodles and chicken on your birthday to celebrate long life and good luck for the upcoming year.
There have been many times over the years when I’ve forgotten to eat this meal until late in the day – during college and acupuncture school, busy all day, then I realize *oh shoot it’s almost midnight and I need to eat this dish!*
This is a dish that I make all the time when I’m in need of a quick and healthy meal. It’s a fun mix of protein, carbs and vegetables, and it’s all topped with a peanut sauce that makes every bite delicious! I also like to highlight different textures and flavors in my noodle bowls. What can I say, I like variety! These bowls are customizable to each person and you can use whatever combination sounds good to you.
And the best part is the shortcuts – perfect for when you need to put a meal together quickly, you’re feeling lazy and not in the mood to be in the kitchen for hours, or it’s your birthday and you have a party to attend!
Shortcuts
-Noodles – whatever long dried noodles are in your pantry, or fresh if you’re feeling fancy – soba noodles, angel hair pasta, spaghetti, or fettuccine noodles – they just have to be long, no macaroni elbows for this dish!
-Chicken – store bought rotisserie chicken for the quick meal win!
-Salad packs – I’ve used variety packs of leafy greens, or even the greens out of salad mixes (just ditch the prepackaged dressing).
Ingredients
8 oz. dried or fresh long noodles (enough for about 4 servings)
4 tablespoons sesame oil (1 tablespoon per bowl)
Vegetables and toppings of your choice (about 1 cup per bowl) – see below for ideas
Rotisserie chicken, shredded (about ½ cup per bowl)
Sauce
¼ cup coconut aminos
¼ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Topping possibilities – I like to add at least one from each category, but use whatever combination sounds good to you.
Crunchy – crushed peanuts or other nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds
Soft – beans, butternut squash, mushrooms, tomatoes
Fresh – greens, sliced cucumbers, carrots, kale chips, daikon, radishes
Bitter – stir fried dandelion greens, arugula
Sweet – coconut aminos, fruits like mango or pineapple
Salty – roasted seaweed snack, soy sauce, peanut butter
Spicy – pickled ginger, wasabi, green onion, chili oil, chili garlic sauce or hot sauce
Sour – pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, lime
Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. When they are done, drain out excess water and divide into 4 individual bowls for serving. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over each bowl so the noodles don’t stick together.
For the sauce, whisk all sauce ingredients together to combine. Set aside until bowls are assembled.
Assemble noodle bowls with chicken and vegetables and other fixings of your choice. Pour sauce over the top and enjoy!
Substitutions / Alterations
-All of the ingredient quantities are suggestions, feel free to edit depending on how big your bowl is.
-Make this vegetarian or vegan by eliminating the chicken. Lentils, tofu, or all vegetables would be just as tasty!
-If you get the soba noodles that are in individual bundles, I’ll cook 1 bundle per person.
-This is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables (raw or roasted) in your fridge.