Paleo Drunken Noodles

Thai food is fabulous and drunken noodles = my weakness. I never ever thought that I’d be able to accomplish a tasty paleo drunken noodles dish but this recipe encompasses all the deliciousness that is drunken noodles. These paleo drunken noodles are sticky, sweet, spicy, and oh so savory. When you eat them, you’ll feel the heat – it’ll burn so good. If you like drunken noodles and follow paleo, you’ll love this.

I truly didn’t think I could paleofy drunken noodles. I remember texting my friend, telling her what I was attempting and how I expected to fail. I was honestly surprised at how incredibly awesome it turned out. I made what I thought were four servings… Rob ate three servings in one sitting.

The thing about drunken noodles aka Pad Kee Mao is that for the most part, it has gluten (soy sauce) and msg (oyster sauce – most varieties). Typical drunken noodles also contain different soy sauces – one is dark soy sauce, which has a molasses like flavor to it. To replicate this flavor, I added coconut sugar which tastes similar to brown sugar.

To make this paleo drunken noodle dish, you’ll first need to create a sauce. In a bowl, add coconut sugar, coconut aminos (fermented coconut sap that tastes like soy sauce), fish sauce, lime juice and red chili pepper flakes. Let the flavors in this sauce marry while you chop your veggies. Taste the sauce and make sure you like it. Oh it’s so good.

While I’m sure you can replace the protein in this dish, I suggest trying it with shrimp first. The shrimp adds a seafood flavor which I think makes the dish taste more authentic. Perhaps it makes up for the lack of oyster sauce or whatever other fishy sauce restaurants put in their drunken noodles. If you are in the mood for some beef, I highly recommend my Thai Ground Beef Curry Recipe.

Anyway, the Thai bird’s eye chilies add that Thai hot heat that you’re used to – you can find bird’s eye chilies (phrik khi nu), at most Asian or ethnic stores. I buy these little guys in bulk and keep them in my freezer. If you can’t find them, use a serrano pepper. Don’t skimp out on the Thai basil though.  Using sweet basil won’t work – don’t do it.

You’ll need to have a spaghetti squash handy for this recipe. I used about a cup and a half in my stir-fry (half a squash). You can use the other half as a “rice” replacement – or you can save half for another recipe – like, make half of this casserole. Now, let’s be real for a second here. If you’re expecting spaghetti squash to taste anything like wide rice noodles, you’ve got another thing coming. It’s still darn good though. YUM.

I so hope you enjoy this. And, I hope it crushes any drunken noodle craving you might have.

Paleo Drunken Noodles

Paleo Drunken Noodles

5 from 1 review

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 ½ c spaghetti squash about half a medium squash
• ▢ 2 tbs olive oil divided
• ▢ 16 oz frozen shrimp I used jumbo, yum
• ▢ 4 tbs Coconut Aminos
• ▢ 2 tbs Coconut Sugar
• ▢ 2 tbs Fish Sauce
• ▢ ½ lime freshly squeezed juice
• ▢ ½ tsp red chili flakes
• ▢ 5-6 cloves garlic minced (used my garlic press)
• ▢ 3 thai bird's eye chillies minced
• ▢ 1 medium onion sliced
• ▢ 2 fat carrots sliced
• ▢ 2 small green pepper or 1 large, sliced
• ▢ 1 cup Thai basil or Thai Holy Basil I had access to Thai basil and it was wonderful
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, combine coconut sugar, coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Let the flavors marry while you chop your veggies.
• Heat 1 tbs oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat and add shrimp, salt and pepper. When done, set shrimp aside.
• Add another tbs oil in pan and add garlic and chilies. Stir-fry for a few minutes.
• Add carrots to pan and cover - cook until they turn just slightly softer.
• Add green pepper, onion, thai basil and marinade. Stir-fry for a couple minutes and then add spaghetti squash strands and shrimp. Toss everything together and serve.

To prepare squash using the oven method

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and add a little oil, salt and pepper to cut sides.
• Place squash cut side down in a baking dish.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until you can easily pierce the skin with a knife (cooking time depends on size of squash).

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