4 minutes, one bowl, the takeaway you can actually get away with
Hey {{first_name}},
Peanut noodles are one of those takeaway orders I used to love and then quietly stopped ordering.
Sticky, spicy, savoury, comforting. On paper it's everything you want. But every version I've had from a restaurant or supermarket has been a stack of triggers. Garlic in the sauce, onion in the paste, chilli oil that's loaded with onion and garlic chunks at the bottom of the jar, soy and sugar dialled up to the point where the whole thing sits like a brick. Lovely going in. Not so lovely a couple of hours later.
So this is my version. Same sticky, spicy, peanutty hit, none of the next-morning regret. Takes about 4 minutes (10 if you bloom the spices properly but this is just the quick version of the recipe) start to finish and the sauce is basically just stirring a few things together in a bowl.
The trick with chilli oil is the same trick as garlic infused oil. The heat and flavour live in the oil itself, the trigger bits live in the chunks. So as long as you spoon off just the oil and leave the sundried tomato pieces (and any garlic or onion bits) behind, you get all the flavour without the fructans or excess fructose stacking up.
The recipe
Serves: 1
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
Ingredients:
1 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp chilli and sundried tomato oil (careful not to get any chunky bits in, just have the oil)
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp garlic-infused olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp chopped green tops of spring onion
1 tsp sesame seeds
80g Rice noodles
Optional: shredded chicken / firm tofu
Optional veg: carrot ribbons, cucumber, spinach
Method:
Cook the rice noodles to packet instructions, then drain and set aside
Grab a pan or a bowl and add the peanut butter, chilli and sundried tomato oil (just the oil, no chunks), rice vinegar, garlic-infused olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, grated ginger, spring onion greens and sesame seeds
Pour in a splash of boiling water and mix it all together until you have a smooth, glossy sauce. The more water you add the runnier it gets, so go off how you like it
Tip the drained noodles straight into the sauce and toss until every strand is coated
Stir through your cooked chicken or tofu and any veg you fancy, then serve
Why it works for your gut
The two things that usually wreck a peanut noodle dish are the chilli oil and the sauce base. Most chilli oils are sat on top of a layer of garlic, onion or fermented bean paste, and most peanut sauces are built on fresh garlic and onion. Both fructan loaded, both classic IBS triggers.
This version sidesteps all of it. Garlic infused olive oil does the garlic job (fructans aren't oil-soluble so you get the flavour without the trigger), spring onion greens give you that sharp savoury edge without the fructans in the white bulb, and you take just the oil off the top of the chilli jar and leave the chunks behind.
The peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger, lime and rice noodles are all kept inside lower FODMAP serving sizes so nothing is stacking up on you.
One thing worth flagging on the sundried tomato chilli oil. Sundried tomato itself is high in fructans, but the same rule that works for garlic infused oil works here too. The fructans stay in the solid bits, the flavour comes through the oil.
Just be strict about scooping from the top, not the bottom of the jar. (also stick to 1 tsp of the oil as much more and youll have a spicy meal that could trigger gut issues)
Macros
Carbs: 74g
Protein: 11g
Fat: 22g
Kcals: 530
Fibre: 4.7g
I haven't told anyone this...
If you are loving all these recipes but hate that you have to flick through your emails to find them and that you cant write notes on each recipe or instantly create the shopping list, you can now do all of that on my new app Olara (only on apple right now but will be on android in a few weeks).
I haven't mentioned that the app is ready on my socials as I want you to be the first to know. you are truly part of this IBS community and I want make you feel even more welcomed.
The first week of the app is completely free with complete access to every part of it. No initial sign ups, nothing sneaky. If it isn't for you, you can just remove it from your phone, no questions asked.
But, I truly believe you're going to love it and that it is incredibly helpful for eating out at restaurants, friends houses, buying snacks or just cooking at home.
Either way, you are awesome and I'm glad you're here!
the app icon (name - Olara), so you know you’ve got the right one 🙂
Zak