Dan Dan Noodles with Shrimp
Four ingredients make the sauce. Soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, honey. That combination shouldn't work this well, but thirty seconds of stirring in a hot pan turns it into something you'll want to double next time.
Add whole wheat noodles, six ounces of sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, and pan-fried shrimp. Fifteen minutes. One bowl. Takeout can wait.
Ingredients
- shrimp (frozen) 3 ounces
- zucchini 0.5
- mushrooms 6 ounces
- garlic 1 clove
- ginger 1 slice
- scallion 1
- noodles, whole wheat 3 ounces
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- soy sauce 1 tablespoon
- peanut butter 0.5 tablespoon
- vinegar 0.5 tablespoon
- honey 0.5 tablespoon
Method
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Let the shrimp thaw.
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Cut the zucchini into pieces and slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic clove, grate the ginger and slice the scallion into rings.
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Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain and set aside.
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Sauté the zucchini and mushrooms in a pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft. Set aside.
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Heat some oil in a small pan and cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side until pink. Set aside.
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Heat oil in a medium-sized pan, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Then mix together the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar and honey and add it to the pan. Stir until it becomes a smooth sauce.
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Combine the noodles, vegetables and shrimp with the sauce. Mix well. Serve in a bowl and garnish with the sliced scallion.
Resist adding oil when you sauté the mushrooms and zucchini. Mushrooms release enough liquid on their own, and cooking them dry first gives them a better texture before they meet the sauce.
Behind this recipe
Is 80 grams of carbs too much for one meal?
If you're tracking carbs for fat loss, eighty grams on one plate can look steep. But data from more than five thousand people in controlled diet trials showed that the daily total drives fat loss, not any single meal's contribution. This bowl's place in your plan depends on what surrounds it, not on the number alone.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I eat noodles at dinner and still lose weight?
Researchers ran two identical diets, matched on calories and macros. The variable: carb timing. The group that stacked carbs late dropped 28% more body weight across a six-month period. One trial, specific population. But it undermines the idea that noodles after dark are a fat-loss dealbreaker.
Does it matter that the noodles are whole wheat?
For fat loss specifically, fourteen trials tested whether the glycemic index of your carb source makes a measurable difference. The effect on body composition was small. Where whole wheat earns its place is fiber: eight grams in this bowl helps with fullness. Use whichever noodle you enjoy eating.
Read the full evidence review
