I often crave this Cashew-Coconut Curry Udon with Fresh Herbs & Bell Pepper Salad for lunch. The Thai-inspired Cashew Curry Simmer Sauce is creamy and fragrant thanks to the coconut milk, cashew butter, toasted sesame oil, lime, madras curry powder, garlic, ginger, maple syrup and chili paste. This rich sauce coats Annie Chun’s chewy udon noodles perfectly and is topped off with a minty, peppery and tangy salad. The textures and flavors make this dish in constant rotation in my household, and I have a strong suspicion it will be in yours too!

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE:

• Rinse the udon noodles after draining so they don’t stick together. Toss well into the Cashewy-Coconut Simmer Sauce till they’re fully coated, but don’t thicken the sauce too much or over-stir and end up with sticky noodles.

• You can alter the sauce to your tastes; i.e., omit the Sambal Oelek if spice-averse, use Madras or Japanese Curry Powder (I wouldn’t recommend any other kind for this flavor profile), switch out maple syrup with the sweetener of your choice, to taste

• I use cubed chicken breast as the protein for this dish, but you can easily serve it with tofu for a vegetarian option. I wouldn’t recommend using any sort of red meat because it won’t take to the flavors as well as white meat (and alternatives) do. I season my protein with salt, pepper, and more curry powder to taste before pan-frying with the scallion whites.

If you make these, tag @cleaneatsfactory on Instagram!