Thai Peanut Noodle Salad: A Warm Summer Delight for Body and Soul

Welcome to Our Summer Warm Salad Series!

As we continue our journey through the Summer Warm Salad Series, we're excited to bring you our fourth delectable creation: the Thai Peanut Noodle Salad. This series is designed to challenge the notion that summer meals should always be cold and raw. Instead, we're exploring the perfect balance between refreshing and nourishing warmth of food that is good for your stomach.

Why Should you Eat Warm Meals in Summer? A TCM Perspective

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches us that maintaining balance is key to optimal health, even during the hottest months. While it might seem counterintuitive, consuming warm foods in summer can actually help regulate your body temperature and support digestion.

According to TCM, the stomach prefers warm foods as they're easier to digest. Cold foods can shock the system, causing the body to use extra energy to warm them up. This can lead to digestive issues like stomach pain, gas, reflux, chronic disease, fatigue etc.

Warm meals also promote better nutrient absorption and can help stimulate circulation, allowing your body to cool itself more efficiently. By incorporating warm elements into your summer diet, you're supporting your body's natural processes and maintaining harmony within your system.

The Origins of Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

While not a traditional Thai dish per se, our Thai Peanut Noodle Salad draws inspiration from the vibrant flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine. It's a fusion dish that combines the comforting warmth of noodles with the refreshing crunch of vegetables, all brought together by a luscious peanut sauce.

This type of salad gained popularity in Western countries as people began to explore and adapt Thai flavors to suit their palates. The combination of textures and tastes – creamy, crunchy, sweet, and savory – makes it a perfect dish for those hot summer days when you want something satisfying yet not too heavy.

An Easy Thai Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe for Busy Weeknights

This healthy Thai-inspired noodle dish is perfect for those looking to balance nutrition and flavor in busy days.  In today's fast-paced world, we're all juggling multiple responsibilities, and busy women often find themselves at the center of this whirlwind. Between demanding careers, nurturing relationships, raising children, pursuing personal passions, and striving for that elusive work-life balance, finding time for self-care can feel like an impossible task. 

That's where quick, nutritious, and delicious meals like this Thai Peanut Noodle Salad come to the rescue. This recipe is a perfect solution for the modern multitasker - it's fast to prepare, easy to customise, and absolutely yummy. 

Whether you're a working mom, a dedicated professional, or someone trying to balance it all, this dish allows you to nourish your body and soul without sacrificing precious time. It's a small but significant way to practice self-care amidst the beautiful chaos of a full life.

The Hero of the Dish: Peanut Sauce

At the heart of this salad is my irresistible peanut sauce. My secret is using a fresh orange juice which brings the whole dish to life and always makes me crave more!

• Peanut butter: Rich in healthy fats and protein

• Fresh orange juice: Adds a citrusy brightness and vitamin C

• Fresh lime juice

• Ginger and garlic: Offer anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties

• Sesame oil: Provides a nutty depth and beneficial omega-6 fatty acids

• Soy sauce: Contributes umami flavor and essential amino acids

• Sweetener: use maple syrup or honey

• Chili flakes (optional): it wouldn't be thai dish without some heat

This sauce not only ties the dish together but also enhances its nutritional profile, making each bite a delicious step towards better health.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad Meal Prep

This Thai peanut noodle salad is excellent for meal prep - make a large batch and enjoy it throughout the week. I recommend keeping the sauce and the onion in a separate container from the rest of the salad to ensure it will stay fresh longer, add it only for the day you will eat it.

The Recipe of Healthy Thai-inspired noodle dish

It is a very flexible recipe, you can choose which vegetables to use, in general it's better to use crunchy vegetables. Below is a list of what I like to use for this salad:

• Noodles (I like to sue bean noodles or rice noodles)

• Carrots

• Red cabbage

• White cabbage

• Bell Peppers

• Spring onion

• Mungo sprouts

• Cucumber

• Cilantro (you can replace with Basil)

• Fresh Mint leaves

• Peanuts

• Protein of your choice

Peanut Sauce 

6 thin slices of ginger- cut across the grain, about the size of a quarter. (No need to peel)

2 fat cloves garlic

1/2 cup fresh orange juice (roughly 1 large orange)

1/3 cup lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup soy sauce 

1/3 cup maple syrup, ( or honey, palm sugar or agave,)

1/3 cup sesame oil (6 tablespoons)

1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter (chunky or smooth, or sub almond butter!)

Salt

optional: 

1 -2 teaspoons cayenne pepper or little bit of chilliflakes (or a squirt of sriracha sauce)

Instructions:

1. Prep the veggies and herbs.  You’ll need 4 cups of shredded veggies- red cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, radishes, plus green onions, and cilantro (or basil) and place in a large bowl.

2. Stir cabbage, carrots, peppers for a few minutes so they get warm but they are still crunchy.

3. Make the Peanut Sauce: place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

4. Prepare the noodles. It starts with 170g of dry noodles. Use any noodles you have. I personally love rice noodles here but it's totally up to your taste buds and your kitchen pantry.

5. Combine all together, mix gently so you don't squish the noodles

6. Garnish with toasted, crushed peanuts if you like! 

7. Add protein: It can be anything, I usually add baked tofu, but baked chicken or even shrimps will work with this salad. 

Nutritional Facts

Here's a breakdown of the approximate nutritional content per serving of our Thai Peanut Noodle Salad:

*DV = Daily Value

Stay tuned for the next episode of  Summer Warm Salad Series, where we'll continue to explore the delightful world of nutritious, TCM-inspired warm salads!