Yum Yum Noodles

Served hot or cold, yum yum noodles are yummy. Rice noodles and vegetables are tossed in a vegan yum yum sauce and garnished with Thai basil. Add raw vegetables for a cold version of this yum yum noodle recipe or add grilled vegetables and tofu for a hot noodle bowl. Try not to lick the bowl.

When I crave comfort food., I immediately think of noodles! Asian food is one of my favorites, so I combined my favorite vegan yum yum sauce with noodles and grilled vegetables for an incredible Asian dinner.

As a child, one of my favorite dining experiences was going to the Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant to watch the Japanese chefs cook on a flat iron grill in front of us.

Additionally, the dipping sauces completed the meal. Although many Japanese restaurants serve different sauces, the ones I love are the Asian mustard, ginger, and of course, the famous yum yum sauce. 

Choosing Noodles

Although noodle choice is an individual preference, I chose rice noodles for my yum yum noodles recipe.

Rice noodles, for instance, are made of rice flour and are 100% gluten-free. Flatter and softer rice noodles are often used in stir-fry dishes like vegan spicy Thai drunken noodles or Thai curry noodle bowls.

Another option is Soba noodles, made from buckwheat flour and have a slightly nutty flavor.

If you are gluten-free, pure buckwheat soba is gluten-free, but check the label, as some soba noodles contain wheat flour. Soba noodles, for example, have a firmer texture than spaghetti.

On the other hand, Udon noodles are generally thick wheat noodles (not gluten-free) and are chewy and soft with a neutral taste.

Cooking the Noodles

Regardless of the type of noodles selected, all the noodles cook in minutes. Because they cook so quickly, preparing dinner takes minutes rather than hours.  

I suggest following the directions on the noodle package chosen. Then drain the noodles and rinse in cold water if you plan to eat the yum yum noodles cold.

But, if eating hot, I suggest cooking the noodles a few minutes less than the suggested cook time.

That way, when you heat the noodles with the yum yum sauce, they won't overcook.

Next, decide if you want to eat your yum yum noodles cold or hot. And you can even add tofu for an added boost of flavor.

Yum Yum Sauce

However, the key to this recipe is the vegan yum yum sauce! I love sauce! And this vegan version of yum yum sauce is versatile for various recipes.

Cold Salad Ingredients

• Rice noodles: A Chinese noodle made from rice flour and water with a mild, subtle flavor and a chewy texture. They are available in various sizes and shapes, ranging from the very fine, brittle vermicelli to noodles ¼ inch in width, similar to fettuccine.
• Red Pepper: I love the color and sweetness of red bell peppers in stir-fries and salads.
• White Cabbage: Firm and tightly packed, white cabbage has a  sweet, mild taste making it an excellent choice for salads and coleslaw.
• Zucchini: Zucchini has a very mild taste that is slightly sweet, grassy, or green.
• Red cabbage: Raw red cabbage tastes fresh and slightly peppery
• Summer Squash: Summer squash of all varieties and colors offer prime texture and flavor — thin, crisp skin and tender, mildly sweet, and nutty flesh.

Cold Salad Substitutions

• Choose any noodles preferred, and allow them to cool or rinse them in cold water in a colander.
• Exchange any of your favorite raw vegetables and cut them into uniform sizes.

Making the Cold Salad

Once the ingredients are assembled in the bowl, pour the yum yum sauce over the top, toss, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Hot Noodle Bowl Ingredients

• Baby Portobello Mushrooms: Portobello mushrooms are more sturdy and thick than a typical mushroom. They grill well!
• Summer Squash: Mildly sweet, yellow summer squash is in season and very inexpensive.
• Zucchini: Zucchini is a bit more firm than summer squash and has a nutty flavor profile.
• Grape Tomatoes: I like cooking with grape tomatoes because they have thicker skin and grill well with other vegetables without falling apart.
• White Onion: White and yellow onions have a more robust flavor profile than red onions and caramelize when grilled.
• Red Bell Peppers: The sweetest of all peppers, red bell pepper has a sweetness to its flavors.

Cut the vegetables into similar sizes so they cook evenly in the grill basket.

Hot Noodle Bowl Substitutions

• Choose any mushrooms you want; make sure they are a similar size to the other vegetables in the basket.
• Try red onion instead of white onion. Or choose yellow onion.
• Add green Pepper instead of red bell pepper if unavailable.

Grilled Vegetable Marinade Ingredients

• Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides salt, sweet, umami (savory), and even a little bitter flavor. This balanced flavor profile makes it an excellent condiment. You predominantly detect salt, sweetness, and umami.
• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar has a sweet, acidic taste similar to those of other types of vinegar, like apple cider vinegar. Unlike rice wine, rice vinegar is usually only used in small quantities.
• Fresh Ginger: Fresh ginger root is savory, spicy, and sweet, and while ground ginger retains some of that pepper spice and sweetness, its flavor is milder.
• Garlic Cloves: Garlic adds a warm buttery flavor to the marinade.

Marinade Substitutions

• Instead of soy sauce, coconut aminos or Tamari are a great gluten-free option.
• White vinegar or champagne vinegar replace rice vinegar in recipes.
• If you don't have fresh ginger, substitute 1 teaspoon of ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground mace, or ground nutmeg.
• One clove of fresh garlic equals ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder. The exact conversion applies to dehydrated or freeze-dried garlic or even minced refrigerated garlic. So if you don't have plain garlic powder by itself, but you do have garlic salt, you can go ahead and reach for that.

As always, I suggest marinating overnight, but a few hours suffice.

Grilling the Vegetables

• Be sure to use veggies that are similar in size so that they cook quickly. 
• Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
• Add your vegetables directly to your grill basket and close the lid. 
• Cook your vegetables in the grill basket for about 20 minutes, flipping or stirring them every 5-8 minutes.

Next, heat the noodles and the yum yum sauce in a skillet or wok until heated through—place noodles on a plate.

Then, add the grilled vegetables and tofu if you choose.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Grill or saute the veggies and serve this yum yum noodle recipe hot
• Add grilled, baked, or air-fried tofu for extra protein
• Sprinkle with peanuts or wasabi peas
• Serve hot or cold

Try this vegan yum yum noodle recipe with grilled veggies and tofu, or eat it as a cold raw salad. I guarantee you will love it.

If you love these yum yum noodles, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

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