2 posts tagged “asian”
SPICY NOODLE BOWL
(adapted from this recipe)
What you'll need . . .
- 6 ounces uncooked udon noodles
- 2 teaspoons chili oil
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large green pepper, sliced
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 package extra-firm tofu
- sesame seeds
Method . . .
- Cook noodles according to package directions.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté for three minutes (until tender).
- Add broth, peas, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and green peppers . . . and bring to a boil. Cook for four minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, lemon juice, and cayenne; reduce heat, and simmer for five minutes.
- Add tofu and cook for five minutes.
- Add the cooked noodles to the mixture . . . then divide into bowl. Top with sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
Our V-Day feast was a big success! We visited Wegmans Friday night (which, by the way, is my absolute FAVORITE time to go there) to get all our supplies. My husband eats fish, so he picked up a huge helping of fresh scallops and shrimp in the seafood section. I grabbed some brie and strawberry/plum jam nearby. Then we made our way to the bakery -- where we selected a hearty loaf of organic sourdough (I, um, snuck a pink and white half moon cookie into the cart as well).
Anyway, for my own main course, I first picked up some pre-made pasta and alfredo sauce. It'd be easy, I thought. But after browsing around some more (and getting supplies for our vegan chocolate pie -- which I'll highlight in a future post), my husband noticed I was in a funk. Just a weird, bad mood.
We took back the pasta.
And the sauce.
And then I stood there . . . confused.
A few minutes later, we traveled by the international foods section and some udon noodles caught my eye. SUMMER ROLLS! That's IT! Then I vowed to take only a few more minutes (because at that point, we'd been at the store for nearly an hour) to get some carrots, sprouts, tofu, basil, hoisin sauce, etc.) . . . and we were on our way.
VEGAN SUMMER ROLLS
(Makes approximately 10 rolls)
What you'll need . . .
- 1 package udon noodles (see photo below)
- 1 package spring roll/ rice paper wrappers
- Bean sprouts or regular sprouts
- 2 to 3 carrots, shaved
- 1/2 block tofu, pressed and cut into small-ish rectangles
- 10 basil leaves
- Splash sesame oil (optional)
- Splash low sodium soy sauce (optional)
- Sesame seeds (we used some black sesame seeds that we picked up at an Asian food market in Ithaca)
- Hoisin sauce
Method . . .
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Cook udon noodles until soft -- about 7 or 8 minutes (but keep checking to make sure they aren't TOO done). Drain and pour cold water over them to cool.
- This part is optional, but in a small bowl, mix carrot shavings with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.
- Lay out all ingredients and fill a large bowl (large enough to fit the rice paper) with hot water. You may need to dump and refill with hot water during the process (it gets cool quickly).
- Also lay out a clean kitchen towel. This is where you'll assemble everything.
- Dip in one piece of rice paper at a time -- keep in water for about 15 - 20 seconds (this really is trail and error if you're a first-timer).
- Transfer softened rice paper to kitchen towel (it may tear a bit, but that's OK) and add ingredients into the middle of the circle in this order: udon noodles, sprouts, carrot mixture, tofu, and basil leaf.
- Roll rice paper tightly around filling and then fold over the top and bottoms.
- Put finished summer rolls on plate and, when ready to eat, serve with the hoisin sauce.
