Spicy Swiss Chard Soba Noodle Stir Fry
This Swiss Chard Soba Noodle Stir Fry is super quick & easy to make & is tossed with the most delicious sweet, savoury & spicy ‘instant’ sauce!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sesame oil or to make oil-free use a couple tablespoons of water
1 medium onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 bunch Swiss Chard about 8ish big leaves but exact quantity isn't important (collard greens can be used instead and beet leaves also work very well
1 pkg soba noodles - if you need them to be gluten-free carefully read the packaging because a lot of brands include some wheat flour too. Udon noodles make a great sub
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons Tamari be sure to buy a gluten-free variety if necessary. Can be subbed for soy sauce but read my advice in the post above first
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Sriracha or other similar hot sauce, Feel free to add an extra tablespoon if you like your food extra spicy
Optional cashews or sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a large pan of water and bring to the boil
Wash the Swiss Chard leaves then cut the leafy bits from the thick stem. I just lay the leaf flat on a chopping board and run a sharp knife down either side of the stem then remove it.
The stems kind of look like celery. Slice them up as you would celery and shred the leaves into bite sized pieces.
Mix the sauce ingredients up in a small bowl and set aside within easy reach.
Heat a wok or skillet over a high heat and add the water or oil then the onions and chopped chard stems.
Drop the noodles into the boiling water. Remember that soba noodles cook quickly (usually about 4 minutes) so make sure everything else is ready before you do this.
Stir the onions and chard stems around for about 2 to 3 minutes then add the garlic and shredded leaves. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring around frequently. If you used water and not oil, things might get a little sticky. If they do just add another drop or two of water as needed.
Quickly drain the noodles and throw them into the pan with the chard etc then pour over the sauce.
Stir to coat everything and give it a minute to warm through then serve immediately.
Serve sprinkled with some chopped cashews or sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes:
I am going to preempt comments/messages that I know I would have received about the sodium content in this recipe. It does have a high sodium content. Yes I realize that and no, one meal that is high in sodium isn’t going to make you keel over and die as long as the rest of your diet is balanced.
The majority of the sodium in this recipe comes from the Swiss Chard. Strangely enough, Swiss Chard is a vegetable that is high in sodium with about 213mg per 100g. I personally view sodium from a vegetable differently than I would if I simply told you to pour a canister of salt into your meal. It might have a high sodium content but it has more than enough fantastic nutritional benefits to balance this negative out, such as containing a whopping 961mg of potassium, 150g of magnesium and 3 times your daily requirement of Vitamin K in just 1 cup! It is also full of antioxidants, including betalains, which can help move toxins out of your body and it’s rich in vitamins B, C, iron and heart healthy omega-3s.
Like all things, everything in moderation
