Noodles, touche asiatique! Nouilles, Asiatic touch!

Who doesn’t like Asiatic food?! With its exotic vibrant delights, personally I’m a super fan. In my whereabouts it’s not easy to find international food of any kind, it’s hard enough to find a restaurant at all, hence inspiring me to dare with different dishes. Lately I’ve been really craving for some good NOODLES!

I wanted something easy, specially regarding ingredients; the problem with Asiatic food is not so much the preparation as much as getting a hold of the “special” ingredients that you normally have to hunt down in specialized boutiques. So I give you an easy peasy recipe for an Asiatic touch in your kitchen.

INGREDIENTS for 6:

- Noodles ramen 500g

- Soy sauce 12 table spoons

- Oyster sauce or Nuoc Mam : sauce with a base of fish, anchovies, salt and sugar (any sauce with this base will do!) 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

- Sugar 6 teaspoons

- Sesame oil 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

- 4 cloves of garlic - grated

- 2 Red peppers julienned

- Shitake mushrooms 50g (dry mushrooms, hydrate them in warm water for 60mins) otherwise any mushroom will do.

- 4 medium/large Carrots julienned

- Shredded cabbage (preferably Chinese) 1 ½ cups

- Snow Peas 250g

- Flat parsley, coriander, spring onion, and chives: chop them all and mix together, (you can then place in zip lock and freeze for future usage) we need 4 handfuls for this recipe.

- 2 cm fresh grated Ginger

- Concentrated pepper (chilli!)

- Optional: thin rice Chinese pasta – fry the pasta in small handfuls to obtain a crispy texture.

- Baby corn 300g

- Fresh coriander 4-6 branches

MAKE IT!

1. Chop all the veggies julienned, except for the snow peas, and cut the baby corn in half.

2. In a container mix all your sauces: Soy, Nuoc Nam, sesame oil, sugar and chilli and set aside.

3. Fry your rice noodles in small handfuls making sure they are well cooked and crispy.

4. Precook your noodles: bring water to boil, add the noodles for 45 sec to a minute, then pass them through cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

5. In a wok (make sure it's big enough), add sesame oil, the grained garlic and ginger. Immediately add the red pepper, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage and baby corn. Mix from time to time until the veggies are softened. 

6. Add the noodles separating them as much as possible. Mix for a couple of minutes. Add the snow peas, mix for a couple of minutes, add the sauce, mix, and add the mix of herbs. Mix well for a few minutes add the fresh coriander just before serving.

7. Serve and decorate the top with the crispy rice noodles… Bon appetite!

Eloisa, for LabCulinaire.