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This vegan spicy sesame zucchini sauce recipe is so easy to make and is a great way to use up all those summer veggies and herbs.
Golden zucchini is simmered, simply, with onion, sesame oil, salt, and minced Thai chili peppers for the perfect spicy summer sauce that you can eat cold or hot.
For this vegan sesame zucchini sauce recipe, you need just 5 simple ingredients, including:
- 1 yellow onion
- 1½ pound golden zucchini (or green zucchini)
- 3-4 Thai chili peppers
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- .5 ounce Thai basil leaves
Serve it up with your favorite garnish, like shichimi togarashi or minced scallions. Pile it on top of noodles or rice. You can serve it with your favorite noodle. I used mung bean vermicelli, but try it with udon, soba, or rice noodles.
How to make this spicy sesame zucchini sauce:
This sauce is a breeze to make! First, dice up an onion and zucchini. I used golden zucchini which is an heirloom variety of zucchini. I just LOVE the golden color! It’s much deeper in color than yellow squash. You can use your green or gray zucchini for this recipe, though.
Heat a little neutral oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and zucchini and cook over moderate heat. You don’t want them to brown too much. Season liberally with salt and then add the sesame oil and minced Thai chili peppers.
Reduce heat to medium-low and let it bubble for 20 minutes. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent it from sticking. After the zucchini is very tender, add some water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer an additional 10 minutes until thickened. To finish the sauce, add in the minced Thai basil and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
While the sauce cooks, prepare the noodles you want to serve it with.
Serve it up by drizzling the noodles with a teaspoon of sesame oil and then dividing between shallow bowls. Pile the sauce on top and mix with tongs or a fork to incorporate. Garnish with a few additional Thai basil leaves and shichimi togarashi or minced scallions if you like!
If you made this recipe, share your photo and tag @exploring__vegan on Instagram so I can feature you!
Spicy Sesame Zucchini Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Deep skillet
- Large pot for cooking the noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 1½ pounds golden zucchini (or green zucchini)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3-4 Thai chili peppers minced
- 1½ cups water
- ½ ounce Thai basil leaves minced plus a few leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste
For serving:
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 12 ounces noodles of choice
- Shichimi togarashi optional, for garnish
Instructions
Cook the onion and zucchini:
- Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and zucchini and cook over moderate heat. Be careful not to brown them too much.
- Season the onion and zucchini liberally with salt. Add the sesame oil and minced Thai chili peppers and stir to combine.
Simmer the sauce:
- Reduce heat to medium-low and let it bubble for 20 minutes. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent it from sticking. And adjust heat as necessary if it reduces too quickly.
- After the zucchini is very tender, add 1 1/2 cups water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer an additional 10 minutes until thickened.
Finish the sauce:
- Add the minced Thai basil and simmer for an additional 5 minutes—taste and season more to your preferences.
Prepare the noodles:
- While the sauce cooks, prepare the noodles according to package instructions. If using mung bean vermicelli, place them in a large, heat-proof bowl. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and pour over the noodles. Let stand for 2–4 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
To serve:
- Drizzle the noodles with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and toss to coat. Divide between shallow bowls. Pile the warm zucchini sauce on top and mix with tongs or a fork to incorporate. Garnish with a few other Thai basil leaves and shichimi togarashi if you like.
