Stir Fried Peanut Chicken with Kelp Noodles

Servings: 4 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins Total: 30 mins

This surprisingly tasty entry uses a noodle made of kelp. Yep! That weird stuff that floats around beaches, washes up on shore and generally makes the thought of swimming in it, make my skin crawl. I’ve actually eaten quite a bit of seaweed in my lifetime. At one point, it was all the rage in high end restaurants and was sliced, diced, pickled, tossed with sesame seeds, etc. Some of it was pretty tasty, too! However, until someone popped onto my Facebook page, proclaiming love for noodles made from Kelp, I’d never even heard of such a thing!

When I looked into them, they did read like a low-carber’s dream food. A 4 oz. portion has just 1 carb, and it’s all fiber. It’s also got only 6 calories, is high in iodine (YAY, thyroid function!) and other minerals and is also considered good eating by the Raw and Paleo communities. In a sense, it’s just water held in place with seaweed fiber, and flavored with just a touch of seaweed salt! No cooking is done, or required. Open a bag and eat up!

So, why aren’t people clamoring for more of these? Why aren’t they all the rage? Why hadn’t I heard of them?! Because they’re weird, Man! They’re just weird!

I popped open the bag, expecting something along the lines of the Shirataki noodles (another weird noodle, made from Konjac, a southeast Asian yam-like thing). Shirataki noodles are very soft, rubbery and packed in bags full of water. This was like little strands of hard plasticy-rubber, packed tightly into a vacuum packed baggy. We’re not in Kansas anymore!

I tore a strand of glassy fiber from the bag and put it in my mouth. It felt like plastic, in every way I know. It would not have taken much convincing to tell me that this was the raw material behind cellophane (saran wrap). I bit into it. It was actually really pleasantly crunchy! All of a sudden, I COMPLETELY enjoyed the wonderfully cheerful texture of the noodle. Then, the flavor hit me. It was a very subtle taste, like a cross between salt and something like a mildly bitter baking soda. I was back to regarding these noodles with some skepticism.

Yes, you can eat these right out of the package. There are many that love these things and swear by them. People pop the bag, cut up the noodles, slather them with cucumbers and avocados and chow down. Not only is this possible and acceptable, it’s quite common! I think from my personal vantage point, I’ll need to rise to that particular occasion. I’m more a regular ol’ noodle type dude, and these hard elastic strands just kind of weirded me out. I read and read and discovered that prolonged exposure to acid will start to soften them, somewhat. I rinsed them in warm water, cut them into manageable strands, and then tossed them with fresh lime juice, where they sat on the counter for about an hour. Interestingly, liquid pooled at the bottom, which I poured off. The noodles did, indeed, soften somewhat. Cooking them with other ingredients really whipped them into a nice noodley shape! In the end, I think these are kind of a fun product to play with, the flavor is very mild and easily cancelled out by other ingredients and can be tamed into something wonderful like … Stir Fry Peanut Chicken with Kelp Noodles!

Purchase Note: I personally purchased my noodles from Amazon.com, but I also noticed they sell them at the local asian grocery store. I assume they can be found in some stores, but suspect they can be a bit of a challenge to find. I do recommend them, though, if you’re up for something kind of different!

Stir Fried Peanut Chicken with Kelp Noodles

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: DJ Foodie

Ingredients

• 24 ounces kelp noodles
• 1 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken cut into strips
• 4 each garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 large bunch broccoli including stalks, cut into florets
• 1 small red bell pepper seeded and sliced very thin
• 1 large carrot peeled and cut into thin strips (or grated with grater)
• 1/2 medium red onion very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup peanut sauce
• 1/4 bunch cilantro washed and large stems removed
• 2 whole green onions (scallions) cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1/4 cup peanuts toasted and chopped
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Rinse your kelp noodles under warm water to wash off any extra salt or liquid from the packaging. Cut your noodles into manageable lengths with a knife or food scissors. Toss your noodles in the lime juice, cover and set aside. The longer they sit, the softer the noodle will be. I recommend about an hour, but the entire step is completely optional. When ready to use, pour off any liquid that may have accumulated at the bottom of the bowl.
• Another optional step ... I personally like my broccoli a bit on the undercooked and crunchy side. I stir fry raw florets into this and find the end result to be quite tasty and crunchy, but if you like your broccoli cooked through, boil some salted water and add your broccoli. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, then strain out and set aside. Your broccoli will be about halfway cooked, and it will finish in the stir fry, later.
• Mix together your chicken, garlic and ginger in a bowl, with a little salt and pepper.
• (Note: I might suggest splitting all your ingredients into two halves and either doing this in 2 hot pans at the same time, or in 2 quick batches. It goes quick and will help keep things hot and moving) Heat a large sauté pan or wok (if you have one), over high heat. The hotter the better. The next few steps are going to be hot, fast and smoky. Be ready with your chicken and vegetables, all cut and ready to throw in the pan.
• First, start by adding coconut oil to the pan and swirl it around. Immediately add your chicken pieces. Sprinkle them around the bottom of the pan, to create a flat, single layer of chicken. Let the pan sit for about 2 minutes, letting the chicken turn nice and brown.
• Add your broccoli to the pan. Toss it into the chicken and allow the chicken and broccoli to cook for about 2 minutes.
• Add your thinly sliced bell peppers, carrots and red onions. Toss these into the pan. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and then allow to cook for about 1 minute.
• Add your noodles and peanut sauce. This will be a bit of a challenge to mix, but just smoosh it all together over the heat until it is evenly mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning with a bit more salt and pepper.
• Divide the mixture between 4 plates or bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro, thinly sliced green onions and chopped toasted peanuts.
• Enjoy!

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