Zucchini ribbons or noodles make a refreshing salad with an Asian twist in this salad. Leave them raw and toss with a peanut sauce dressing for a crunchy and satisfying version of an old classic. Zoodles make this gluten free and low carb too!
I’m in love with this raw, low carb and gluten free version of noodles with peanut sauce. This is a no cooking required, Asian inspired zucchini salad which made a great accompaniment to our takeout Sushi Friday. I love sushi, but I like a fresh hit of something to go alongside it, AND it gets my greens in for the day!
I don’t know about you, but I prefer my zucchini raw, always. So where a recipe calls for cooked zucchini, I’ll leave it as nature intended for that extra crunch and texture. I find cooked zucchini too mushy, and fall back on raw every time. But you’re more of an - I can only eat it cooked - type of person, go ahead and sauté the zoodles in a little oil to soften them up.
You can add all sorts of goodies to this, julienned cabbage, carrots, scallions, radishes, whatever you’re feeling. Go for the shortcut with ready-made zoodles or twist your own if you have a spiralizer. You can also just use a vegetable peeler to make strips, this is not a rule book, just a guide!
For the dressing, I referred to my Indonesian grandmother’s Satay Sauce and tweaked it to make it work with the zucchini. A little sour, a little heat, it was a zinger! xoxo Kirsty
Ingredients (serves 4 servings as a side)
For the salad:
1 large zucchini (1 to 1-1/2lb; 580-680g), spiralized
sliced scallions, cabbage, radishes, carrots, peppers etc. if you like
For the dressing:
1/3 cup (60g) natural peanut butter, unsweetened
2 tablespoons (30ml) low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 tablespoons (30ml) rice vinegar
1/2 lemon, juice only
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 clove of garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons sambal oelek or sriracha
pinch of salt to taste
at least 2 tablespoons (30ml) water to thin the consistency
1/4 cup crushed, salted peanuts
Spiralize the zucchini if it hasn’t already been ’zoodled’.
Put the peanut butter in a small bowl. You can warm it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to make it easier to work with. Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and sambal oelek. Taste for seasoning. Depending on the soy sauce or coconut aminos you used, you might need to add a pinch of salt. Add water bit by bit to thin the sauce to a dressing-like consistency. Taste again just to make sure it’s well balanced.
Combine the dressing with the noodles and veggies, and toss. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately. The salt with draw out moisture from the zucchini after it sits for a while, but we highly recommend mopping this up with extra rice!
