Plant-Based Garlicky Cashew Sauce Udon

Fresh Udon with a creamy cashew nuts sauce flavored with Kalamata olives and and garlic topping with mini tomatoes and ice plants

Looking for a healthy recipe to try? In this recipe, cashew nuts are turned into a creamy sauce to enjoy with our Fresh Udon! Add some flavors with Kalamata olives and and garlic! While this recipe is inspired by a Western recipe, we have used ingredients common in Japanese markets for a balanced taste. Koji salt helps balance the flavors, making the sauce mild and not too overpowering. For the garnish, we have used mini tomatoes, ice plants for a healthy decoration. Ice plants are edible succulents, which has a distinctive frosty look. Ice plants taste salty with a lemony bite. If you do not have ice plants in your area, you can always substitute with broccoli or green leaf lettuce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Udon

2 servings Fresh Udon
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Sauce

1/2 cup Raw Cashews
2 cups Water
1/4 tsp Konbu Dashi (Kelp Dashi)
1/2 tsp Koji Salt
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 clover Garlic
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives
Salt & Pepper by preference

Toppings

6 Kalamata Olives
12 Mini Tomatoes
1 bundle Ice Plant

Instructions

Mince the garlic and set aside.
In a small pot, boil the cashew nuts in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes.
While the cashew nuts are being boiled, Cook the udon noodles in a separate pot. Use plenty of water to cook the noodles for 4 to 45 minutes. Once the noodles are cooked, set aside ½ cup of cooked water and drain the noodles. Put the noodles in a bowl and stir in sesame oil to keep the noodles from clumping together.
After the 15 minutes are up, Drain the cashew nuts from Step 2 and blend in a mixer. Add in the garlic, olives, konbu dashi, koji salt, soy sauce, and ¼ cup of cooked water from step 3. After blending, add in the rest of the cooked water (1/2 cup of water) and blend until the mixture is creamy. Cashew sauce is ready!
Pour the cashew sauce from Step 4 to the udon noodles from Step 3 and mix well. Place the noodles on a plate and garnish with an Ice plant and mini tomatoes. Finish by topping some olives and enjoy!