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Gluten free, Low FODMAP, Main, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

FODMAP-friendly peanut butter stir-fry (v, gf)

BY Georgia McDermott
An aerial view of four ceramic bowls filled with FODMAP friendly peanut butter stir fry. The stir fry is filled with chunks of tofu and vegetables and topped with sesame seeds and spring onions. The bowls are all different colours and shapes, sitting atop a dark blue backdrop and aligned to the right of the image
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A close up aerial view of a wok filled with vegetarian peanut butter noodle stir fry. The stir fry is filled with vegetables and crumbled tofu and topped with sesame seeds and spring onion greensWhile spending the year baking constantly for my cookbook Intolerance Friendly Kitchen, I needed some quick and easy weeknight dinners. Comfort food dinners complete with a hefty vegetable quotient to offset all the sugar. When I found some gluten free rice noodles at the shops that were shaped like regular noodles (why are gluten free noodles never nice shapes?!) I decided this FODMAP-friendly peanut butter stir-fry was in order.

This is an easy, basic weeknight dinner. It is gluten free, FODMAP friendly and vegan. You can build on it any way you like, or keep it as is.

If you’re in the mood for more weeknight dinners, try:

An aerial view of gluten free peanut butter noodles in a dark blue ceramic bowl. They sit against a dark grey mottled backdrop

FODMAP friendly peanut butter stir fry

I have used gluten free rice noodles for this recipe. Technically, they’re rice and potato starch noodles – potato starch being the second (and therefore lesser quantity) ingredient. I noticed them at the shops and thought I would give them a try. In Australia, they have started appearing under various brands – Wokka and Kantong are two brands I have tried. Personally I thought the Wokka ones tasted less stale, but that could have been luck. They also look suspiciously similar, which makes me wonder if they are the same noodles branded under different names. Either way! They are a really good supermarket find if you’re craving a certain shape of noodle, which I was.

I used a dark roasted natural peanut butter for this recipe. I can’t go back to regular peanut butter now that dark roast is on the scene, quite frankly. I also can’t recommend any peanut butter that isn’t just made with peanuts and salt. Unless it’s a special flavour, there shouldn’t be anything else in your peanut butter.

Another thing I’m absolutely loving right now is the availability of gluten free dark soy sauce at the supermarket. Dark soy is maybe a little more pungent, but also adds extra colour to the dish which can be important. In Australia, Ayam brand makes gluten free dark soy sauce which is available at supermarkets. If you can’t find it, I recommend Spiral foods tamari. I have been eating tamari (and with age, buying it) since I was a kid, and this is the best widely available one in my opinion.

An aerial view of gluten free peanut butter noodles in a speckled ceramic bowl. The noodles are topped with spring onion greens and toasted sesame seeds. They sit atop a white marble table and a second bowl of noodles sits in the top left hand corner

Which vegetables and protein can I use in this FODMAP friendly stir fry?

It’s worth mentioning that the amount of sauce I have used fits perfectly with the quantity of veg, protein and noodle in this FODMAP-friendly peanut butter stir-fry. If you add more or less, you might end up with a saucier or not sufficiently sauced dish. Riffing is always welcome, but I’d recommend sticking loosely to the quantities, if not the ingredients themselves.

If you eat meat, you’re more than welcome to add the meat of your choice. I have literally no suggestions beyond that, because I don’t know how to cook meat/if it needs more sauce, etc. Any meat eater would know a lot more than me on that front.

You could probably use tempeh in place of tofu, if that’s your thing. There are also some fancy plant based meat options out there these days, so you could tinker with any that fit your dietary requirements, if you’d like.

In terms of the vegetables, I have chosen to use carrots, , red capsicum and pak choi. They’re all easy to find and low FODMAP (except for red capsicum, which has a threshold).

A close up overhead shot of gluten free peanut butter noodles. The noodles are interspersed with carrots, bok choi and tofu and topped with toasted sesame seeds and spring onion greens

A note on the gluten free noodles

Although these thicker rice noodles may be accessible in Australia (or in the supermarkets I have tried, anyway) they might not be overseas. How much sauce you will need depends a bit on the noodles, so if you’re using a different sort of noodle, I would recommend adding the sauce last and by sight. That way you can confirm you’re not swamping your stir fry with too much sauce. 

I’m yet to try it, but I think this dish would also go really nicely with the gluten free egg noodles from my cookbook. Something to consider if you don’t have access to these noodles.

An aerial view of four ceramic bowls filled with FODMAP friendly peanut butter stir fry. The stir fry is filled with chunks of tofu and vegetables and topped with sesame seeds and spring onions. The bowls are all different colours and shapes, sitting atop a dark blue backdrop and aligned to the right of the image

A note on the stir fry sauce

If in doubt, add less to the sauce, then taste and adjust later. If you’re not sure how much soy you’d like, add less, mix it all up and then assess. You can add extra soy, but you can’t take it out. Different people have a different taste for salt, and I daresay all brands have a different salinity. 

This tip also goes for the ginger. You can add more in and cook it off, but you can’t take it out. Personally, I find cooked ginger really just gives this dish a lovely background note. It’s not spicy or gingery, just flavoursome. If you don’t like ginger, simply add less. 

A close up aerial view of a speckled ceramic bowl filled with vegetarian peanut butter noodles. The noodles are topped with toasted sesame seeds, spring onion and coriander and sit against a mottled grey backdrop

Gluten free vegan peanut butter stir fry noodles

Vegan, FODMAP friendly, gluten free
5 from 3
Print Recipe
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
  • 4-5 tablespoons gluten free dark soy sauce or Tamari
  • 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • chilli flakes to taste (I use Korean)

For the stir fry:

  • 440 g thick rice stir fry noodles softened in boiling water and rinsed (see notes and noodle section)
  • 2-3 tablespoons plain oil I used vegetable oil
  • 50-100 g yes, grams finely and freshly grated ginger
  • 1 bunch spring onion greens
  • 2 carrots finely sliced
  • 1 small red capsicum sliced or chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 bunch bok choi or pak choi
  • 450 g firm tofu crumbled

Optional garnishes:

  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Chopped spring onion greens
  • Chopped herbs I had some leftover coriander so I used that

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and taste to adjust. Keep in mind that it should be a little too salty for your tastes – it will dilute as everything else is added. It might look a little grainy – that’s fine.
  • Chop, grate and crumble all your ingredients and have them ready to go. Drain your noodles, reserving 1/2 cup of the boiling water.
  • Heat the oil in large wok over a medium high heat. Once shimmery, add the ginger and spring onion. Cook for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. Add a splash of water if it sticks to the wok (be careful of spluttering)
  • Add the carrot and cook for a few minutes or until lightly softened. Repeat with the capsicum, then the bok choi. Add the tofu and stir to combine, before pouring over the sauce. Stir really well, then finally add the noodles. They are fragile and break easily, so stir gently to incorporate them into the sauce. I like using tongs.
  • Taste and adjust for your preferences before serving. Leftovers keep really well in the fridge for a number of days.

Notes

Although these thicker rice noodles may be accessible in Australia (or in the supermarkets I have tried, anyway) they might not be overseas. How much sauce you will need depends a bit on the noodles, so if you're using a different sort of noodle, I would recommend adding the sauce last and by sight. That way you can confirm you're not swamping your stir fry with too much sauce. 
If in doubt, add less to the sauce, then taste and adjust later. If you're not sure how much soy you'd like, add less, mix it all up and then assess. You can add extra soy, but you can't take it out. Different people have a different taste for salt, and I daresay all brands have a different salinity. 
This tip also goes for the ginger. You can add more in and cook it off, but you can't take it out. Personally, I find cooked ginger really just gives this dish a lovely background note. It's not spicy or gingery, just flavoursome. If you don't like ginger, simply add less. 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

An aerial view of four ceramic bowls filled with FODMAP friendly peanut butter stir fry. The stir fry is filled with chunks of tofu and vegetables and topped with sesame seeds and spring onions. The bowls are all different colours and shapes, sitting atop a white marble backdrop

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Is Peanut Butter Low FODMAP? - THE IBS DIETITIAN

  3. 5 stars
    This exceeded my expectations! I’ve made plenty of FODMAP-full stir frys in my day and I found that this one actually tasted better than most. I’ll attribute it to the great amount of ginger.

    Thanks for this!

    Reply
5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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