This Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry is so easy to prepare, made in one pan and ready in 25 minutes or less! Featuring silky zucchini noodles and a tantalizing, sweet and spicy stir-fry sauce, it's a delicious, low-carb alternative to take out! This recipe is totally customizable, so you can use chicken, pork, beef or tofu and throw in your favorite veggies!
Make the sauce: In a small measuring cup, whisk together 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, oyster sauce and chili garlic sauce. Set aside.
Cook the shrimp: Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over high-heat. Add the shrimp, being careful not to crowd the pan (SEE NOTE), and cook for 1 minute undisturbed. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and stir-fry, for 2-3 minutes or until slightly charred and cooked through. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove from the pan. Set aside.
Cook the vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium-high and return pan to heat. (SEE NOTE) Add the add the shallots, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce to the pan and whisk to combine. Bring to simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sauce is reduced slightly.
Add in the zucchini noodles and cook, stirring/tossing constantly to coat, for 2 minutes or until slightly softened (SEE NOTE). Add the shrimp back to the pan and toss again to coat.
To Serve: Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Squeeze with optional fresh lime, top with garnishes as desired and serve. Enjoy!
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Notes
Shrimp tails: I like to leave the tails on my shrimp for aesthetic purposes only. Feel free to remove the tails when peeling and deveining if desired!
Shrimp size: I used large (16/20 count) shrimp in this recipe. You can substitute whatever size shrimp you would like, just be sure to scale the cook time up or down accordingly in step 1 of the recipe.
Shrimp substitution: If you don't like shrimp, or if you have a shellfish allergy, you can substitute tofu of chicken for the shrimp! Just make sure you adjust the cook time accordingly.
Sesame oil: Do NOT use dark, toasted sesame oil when stir-frying the shrimp (or whatever protein you chose), as dark sesame oil can easily burn and taste bitter.
Chili Garlic Sauce is NOT the same thing as Sweet Chili Sauce!! Chili Garlic Sauce can be found in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store.
Heat level: If you don't like overly spicy food, reduce the amount or omit the crushed red pepper flakes.
Cooking shrimp: Do not crowd the pan when cooking the shrimp! Cook the shrimp in 2 batches if necessary - complete step 1 with half the shrimp and then repeat with the oil and remaining shrimp.
Step 3: If the pan seems dry in step 3 (when adding the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes), add a bit of neutral oil to the pan.
Cooking vegetable noodles: The longer you cook the zucchini, the more they will release water, so make sure you only cook them until just softened. As well, make sure you do not salt the zucchini prior to or during cooking, as that will cause them to release moisture as well.
Serves 2-4 Depending on appetite.Nutritional information is an approximation based upon 4 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.