Something fresh and spicy is coming your way! As summer approaches, it's time to bring back salads. And not any salad, this cold noodle salad comes with mushrooms sautéed with garlic, chili, and peanuts!
It's easy to make, refreshing, healthy, a bit sweet, and definitely spicy!
This recipe comes together rather quickly. You start with the aromatics that are sautéed until fragrant: green onions, garlic, lemongrass, and chili. Next, add the diced mushrooms, and sautée for a few minutes.
To season, deglaze with soy sauce, and a drizzle of maple syrup for sweetness. Then we have chopped roasted peanuts for some crunch. To add more protein and texture, I also added finely chopped tofu that I fried for a couple of minutes. This is totally optional, and if you are not into tofu you can use bread croutons, or simply omit.
Our mushroom "larb" is now ready!
Now onto the dressing. Soy sauce (or vegan fish sauce) is combined with lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, and chili for a spicy and citrusy dressing!
To finish, we have pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mint that bring a ton of freshness.
To serve, divide the noodles between two serving bowls, top with the mushroom larb, pickled carrots, cucumber, fresh cilantro, and pour in the sauce on top. Mix and enjoy!
Let's be honest, once everything is mixed together the salad is not as pretty but definitely delicious! If you are looking for a spicy, yet refreshing noodle salad, you are going to love this one!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Spicy Noodle Salad with Garlic Mushroom Larb
Ingredients
Mushroom Larb
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass
- 2 cups finely diced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- optional: ¼ cup finely diced fried tofu
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (or vegan fish sauce)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small chili finely chopped
The Rest
- 3.5 ounces dry rice noodles
- ½ small cucumber sliced or cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cup pickled carrots drained
- a couple mint leaves chopped
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and drain. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped green onions, garlic, chili, and lemongrass. Sautée for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Next, add the diced mushrooms and sautée for another 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked. Pour in the soy sauce, maple syrup, roasted peanuts, and diced tofu if using, and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring regularly to combine. Stir in the chopped cilantro, and remove from heat. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, and chili.
- To serve: divide the rice noodles between two serving bowls. Top with the mushroom larb, pickled carrots, cucumber slices, and a sprinkle of chopped mint and cilantro. Pour in half of the dressing into each bowl and mix to combine everything. Enjoy!
- This salad is best served at room temperature, or chilled! Although it is best eaten the same day, it will keep for up to two days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- If you like it very spicy, use two chilis for the dressing.
So delicious! I used Miyoko's vegan fish sauce recipe for the 2 TBSP of fish or soy sauce. My partner and I were overwhelmed by how excellent this tasted.
So happy to hear you both liked this recipe Jeremy 🙂
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious! It was my first time cooking with lemongrass and I must say that I am now a fan. I didn't have peanuts or tofu, so I used tempeh instead, and I think that was a nice substitute since its a bit nuttier than tofu. Can't wait to make it again!
Lemongrass is so great to add freshness and a delicate aroma to dishes 🙂
Thanks for your feedback!