Dan Dan Mian (Dan Dan Noodles)

To showcase the versatility of Mizkan condiments and sauces, I am sharing with you a very popular Chinese noodle recipe called Dan Dan Mian. As I mentioned in my previous post about building an all-purpose Asian pantry, you can use Mizkan sauces and condiments for a variety of Asian cooking, for example: Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean, and other Asian cooking without losing the authentic taste and flavor of the dish. I will show you how exactly with this Dan Dan Mian recipe.

Dan Dan Mian (???) originated from Sichuan, China, and it has since become popular all over the world. Sichuan, also spelled as Szechuan, is the birthplace of many dishes you already love: kung pao chicken, mapo tofu, hot and sour soup and so much more. Sichuan cooking is prized for its intense flavors of combining numbing (“ma”) and spicy (“la”) flavors into scrumptious, addictive, and absolutely incendiary great dishes that you just can’t stop eating. Dan Dan Mian is one of it.

I have tried many versions of Dan Dan Mian, but the ones I had tried in Sichuan a few years ago left lasting impressions. Unlike the usual watered down versions served outside of Sichuan, Dan Dan Mian in Sichuan is an epitome of Sichuan cooking—fiery with the tingly nuance as you chow down the dry noodle dish in an extremely flavorful, nutty, aromatic, and slightly sharp tasting sauce. It was absolutely delicious and I was instantly hooked.

Traditionally, the sauce of Dan Dan Mian is made of Chinese black vinegar, Chinese sesame sauce, soy sauce, MSG plus red chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn. Many people shun away from buying new bottles and sauces just to make a dish, and this is particularly true when it comes to Asian cooking. You don’t have to do that anymore with Mizkan condiments and sauces. Asian cooking uses very similar basic sauces and Mizkan is your all-purpose sauces to stock up. I used Mizkan Ponzu in lieu of Chinese black vinegar. Mizkan Goma Shabu Sauce to replace sesame sauce. In addition of soy sauce, I use Mizkan Oigatsuo Tsuyu Soup Base (Green Label with No MSG) to bring out the umami flavor in the dish as the Tsuyu sauce is made with real Bonito (fish) flavoring. And the end result was absolutely pleasing and delightful, and the taste was close to the Dian Dian Mian I had in Sichuan years ago. And the best thing about this Dan Dan Mian recipe is that you don’t even have to cook, other than the ground meat. It’s so easy and hassle free!

So there you have it, now you can use Mizkan Japanese condiments to make Chinese dishes without extra money spent on new sauces, while getting amazing results in terms of flavor and authenticity. Of course, you can still use Mizkan for your Japanese cooking. For recipe ideas, please check out all my Japanese recipes made with Mizkan. Stay tuned as I will teach you how to use these sauces again next month. Happy cooking!

(Click Page 2 for the Dan Dan Mian Recipe)

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Shanghai Noodles + Cookbook and Avocado Oil Giveaway!

Fresh and simple Asian cooking Y.use('squarespace-ui-base', function(Y) { Y.one("#lower-logo .logo").plug(Y.Squarespace.TextShrink, { parentEl: Y.one('#header') }); }); Whenever I teach cooking classes around New York, there is one question that is asked in almost every single class: What is the best healthy oil to use for Chinese cooking? This question used to be pretty tough to answer.

You see, in Chinese cooking, the most common oils to use are peanut and canola. The wok is the most common cooking vessel, and to cook with it you need oils that can be used at very high temperatures.  While I don't think peanut and canola oil are bad for you in moderate amounts, many commercial brands are chemically processed. Plus, rapeseed (used to make canola oil) is often sprayed with pesticides, so you'd need to look for organic, expeller-presssed canola oil.

Olive oil that isn't extra virgin is okay for medium-heat cooking, but often Chinese cooking requires very high heat. Toasted sesame oil is one of our pantry staples, but it has a very low smoke point and should only be used in sauces or added towards the end of cooking, not as the main cooking oil. 

So for many months I was on the quest to find a neutral-tasting cooking oil that would be good for high-heat cooking. Earlier in the summer I came across Chosen Foods' avocado oil, a cold-pressed and naturally refined oil that has a smoke point of 500 degrees. I had to give it a try.

(For years I thought avocado oil would, well, taste like avocados. And had been skeptical about trying it for Chinese food. But Chosen Foods' avocado oil, which has a faint buttery avocado flavor if you try it straight from the bottom, is neutral-tasting once you actually cook with it. Other brands may have a stronger avocado or woodsy flavor.)

Chosen Foods and I decided to partner together on a post. Over the past month, I've tested the avocado oil in all sorts of situations. Frying eggs. Making kung pao chicken or lemon chicken. Pan-frying dumplings, stir-frying eggplants, and frying curry leaves when Chitra and I were recipe-testing for Tangra Summer.  It worked so well in every situation, even when it involved deep-frying. It's high in vitamin E and monounsaturated fats, the good heart-heathy fats also found in nuts and olive oil. And did I mention it's made from sustainably-grown Mexican Hass avocados? Now I'm a total avocado oil convert.

And Chosen Foods has just launched on the east coast. In New York, it's now available at Costco locations. To celebrate its east coast launch, we're teaming up to do a giveaway of a 500 ml bottle of Chosen Foods Avocado Oil and a copy of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook. Details at the end of the post!

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Whenever I teach cooking classes around New York, there is one question that is asked in almost every single class: What is the best healthy oil to use for Chinese cooking? This question used to be pretty tough to answer.

You see, in Chinese cooking, the most common oils to use are peanut and canola. The wok is the most common cooking vessel, and to cook with it you need oils that can be used at very high temperatures.  While I don't think peanut and canola oil are bad for you in moderate amounts, many commercial brands are chemically processed. Plus, rapeseed (used to make canola oil) is often sprayed with pesticides, so you'd need to look for organic, expeller-presssed canola oil.

Olive oil that isn't extra virgin is okay for medium-heat cooking, but often Chinese cooking requires very high heat. Toasted sesame oil is one of our pantry staples, but it has a very low smoke point and should only be used in sauces or added towards the end of cooking, not as the main cooking oil. 

So for many months I was on the quest to find a neutral-tasting cooking oil that would be good for high-heat cooking. Earlier in the summer I came across Chosen Foods' avocado oil, a cold-pressed and naturally refined oil that has a smoke point of 500 degrees. I had to give it a try.

(For years I thought avocado oil would, well, taste like avocados. And had been skeptical about trying it for Chinese food. But Chosen Foods' avocado oil, which has a faint buttery avocado flavor if you try it straight from the bottom, is neutral-tasting once you actually cook with it. Other brands may have a stronger avocado or woodsy flavor.)

Chosen Foods and I decided to partner together on a post. Over the past month, I've tested the avocado oil in all sorts of situations. Frying eggs. Making kung pao chicken or lemon chicken. Pan-frying dumplings, stir-frying eggplants, and frying curry leaves when Chitra and I were recipe-testing for Tangra Summer.  It worked so well in every situation, even when it involved deep-frying. It's high in vitamin E and monounsaturated fats, the good heart-heathy fats also found in nuts and olive oil. And did I mention it's made from sustainably-grown Mexican Hass avocados? Now I'm a total avocado oil convert.

And Chosen Foods has just launched on the east coast. In New York, it's now available at Costco locations. To celebrate its east coast launch, we're teaming up to do a giveaway of a 500 ml bottle of Chosen Foods Avocado Oil and a copy of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook. Details at the end of the post!

But let's talk about these noodles first. In addition to all the aforementioned recipe testing, I wanted to really put it to the test by pan-frying noodles. I decided to make Shanghai noodles, a dish of thick and toothsome noodles with a fair amount of vegetables and a slightly spicy and faintly sweet sauce. This is normally a rather oily dish, but I was able to cook everything, including lightly pan-frying the noodles, with just 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. (You can make this with either squarish Shanghai-style noodles, which are kind of hard to find outside of China, or the more widely available udon noodles.) 

I made a vegetarian version of this dish (normally served with pork) but that doesn't mean you can't throw in leftover shredded chicken or shrimp. Also, you would normally use Napa cabbage, but my favorite local grocery store had some great-looking Shanghai bok choy (the larger of the baby bok choys) and I decided, why not? It's still a member of the cabbage family. Plus, the name fits. 

The leaves and stems should be chopped into long thin strips, like this:

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But let's talk about these noodles first. In addition to all the aforementioned recipe testing, I wanted to really put it to the test by pan-frying noodles. I decided to make Shanghai noodles, a dish of thick and toothsome noodles with a fair amount of vegetables and a slightly spicy and faintly sweet sauce. This is normally a rather oily dish, but I was able to cook everything, including lightly pan-frying the noodles, with just 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. (You can make this with either squarish Shanghai-style noodles, which are kind of hard to find outside of China, or the more widely available udon noodles.) 

I made a vegetarian version of this dish (normally served with pork) but that doesn't mean you can't throw in leftover shredded chicken or shrimp. Also, you would normally use Napa cabbage, but my favorite local grocery store had some great-looking Shanghai bok choy (the larger of the baby bok choys) and I decided, why not? It's still a member of the cabbage family. Plus, the name fits. 

The leaves and stems should be chopped into long thin strips, like this:

Then you just stir-fry it in the pan with the rest of the vegetables like this: 

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Then you just stir-fry it in the pan with the rest of the vegetables like this: 

Then add the noodles, stir-frying for a quick minute, add the sauce, and toss to coat, until you end up with a dish that looks like this:

 

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Then add the noodles, stir-frying for a quick minute, add the sauce, and toss to coat, until you end up with a dish that looks like this:

Now for the giveaway! (Open to U.S.-based readers.) To enter for a chance to win a copy of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook + 1 500 ml bottle of Chosen Foods Avocado Oil, just leave a comment and let me know what Asian dish you would like to try cooking with avocado oil. You can get one additional entry by tweeting a public message about the giveaway and linking back to this page, then leaving a URL to that tweet in a comment on this post. You can enter the giveaway from now until September 10th. Winners will be announced by random draw and will be notified by email. 

Is anyone else a recent avocado oil convert?

______________________________

Shanghai Noodles

Serves 2

Ingredients:

6 dried shiitake mushrooms16 ounces fresh udon noodles or Shanghai-style noodles (or 8 ounces dried) 1 tablespoon avocado oil 1 tsp garlic, minced1 teaspoon ginger, minced2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced1 pound Shanghai bok choy or baby bok choy, leaves and stems chopped into long thin strips1 medium carrot, peeled and juliennedSauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons water1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce1/2 tablespoon chili sauce1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, to tasteSoak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened. Drain the shiitakes and squeeze out the excess water into the bowl. Discard the stems of the mushrooms and finely chop the caps. If you're using fresh udon noodles, bring a pot of water to boil and boil the noodles for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off the excess water. If you're using dried noodles, cook them according to package instructions until al dente (usually the least amount of time listed on the package.) Drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off the excess water. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, and sesame oil.Heat the avocado oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the bok choy and carrot and cook for another 1 minute. Add the noodles and stir-fry them for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and toss with tongs so the noodles are well-coated.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the scallion greens. 

 

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Now for the giveaway! (Open to U.S.-based readers.) To enter for a chance to win a copy of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook + 1 500 ml bottle of Chosen Foods Avocado Oil, just leave a comment and let me know what Asian dish you would like to try cooking with avocado oil. You can get one additional entry by tweeting a public message about the giveaway and linking back to this page, then leaving a URL to that tweet in a comment on this post. You can enter the giveaway from now until September 10th. Winners will be announced by random draw and will be notified by email. 

Is anyone else a recent avocado oil convert?

______________________________

Serves 2

Ingredients:

6 dried shiitake mushrooms16 ounces fresh udon noodles or Shanghai-style noodles (or 8 ounces dried) 1 tablespoon avocado oil 1 tsp garlic, minced1 teaspoon ginger, minced2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced1 pound Shanghai bok choy or baby bok choy, leaves and stems chopped into long thin strips1 medium carrot, peeled and juliennedSauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons water1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce1/2 tablespoon chili sauce1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, to tasteSoak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened. Drain the shiitakes and squeeze out the excess water into the bowl. Discard the stems of the mushrooms and finely chop the caps. If you're using fresh udon noodles, bring a pot of water to boil and boil the noodles for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off the excess water. If you're using dried noodles, cook them according to package instructions until al dente (usually the least amount of time listed on the package.) Drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off the excess water. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, and sesame oil.Heat the avocado oil in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the bok choy and carrot and cook for another 1 minute. Add the noodles and stir-fry them for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and toss with tongs so the noodles are well-coated.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the scallion greens. ? New Fall Cooking Classes: Dim Sum, Soup Dumplings, and More...Tangra Summer - Success! ?

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Black Garlic Soba Noodles

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Cold Crab Noodles

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Asian Street Food festival at my friend’s restaurant in Denver, the culmination of our trip to Vietnam or Red Boat Odyssey that I participated a few months ago. I presented two dishes: Cold Crab Noodles and Tamarind Shrimp. When I developed the recipe for Cold Crab Noodles and posted the pictures on my social media, many fans and readers were asking for the recipe. So here it is, I have decided to share it here with you.

I am not sure about the rest of America, but the weather has gotten really hot here in Southern California. It’s strange, but it seems like the real HOT summer in SoCal always starts in September when the rest of the country cools down after Labor Day.

With the scorching heat outside, I find a serving of this Cold Crab Noodle very refreshing. The recipe below makes a big batch of the fish sauce based dressing, which you can keep in the refrigerator and use it whenever you want. For the fish sauce, I recommend Red Boat Fish Sauce, which is the best artisanal fish sauce in the market, made purely from anchovies and salt, and no MSG. I visited the factory so I can attest to the fact.

For the crab meat, for the best results, use crab meat picked from live crabs. If you can’t find fresh crabs where you are, you can use frozen crab meat. However, the end result will not be as great. If you have a seafood store where you are, you can also get crab lump meat, which is commonly used for crab cakes. In any case, the fresher and the more crab you use, the better tasting this dish is. Enjoy the flavors of Vietnam in this dish, enjoy!

(Click Page 2 for the Cold Crab Noodles Recipe)

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Three noodles worth eating in Lampang

Lampang, in northern Thailand, is home to chaam traa kai (?????????), Thailand’s emblematic ‘chicken bowls’:

so perhaps it’s not surprising that I encountered some good noodle dishes there. Actually, exceptional is more accurate; I’d say that each of the below is among the best version of the dish I’ve encountered just about anywhere in the country.

The noodle I keep on my radar when up north is khao soi, the dish of wheat-and-egg noodles in a curry broth.

and with the help of food-based pamphlet printed by Lampang’s tourism board (???????????: Food You’ll Like), I was pointed in the direction of Omar.

At a glance, the bowls here — served with smooth, pale noodles and a garnish of coconut cream — call to mind the Muslim version of the dish. Indeed, Omar is located in a neighbourhood with a mosque and several Muslim restaurants. But there’s pork on the menu, and a taste reveals that the khao soi here is much meatier than your typically mild Muslim version. I ordered the beef, which is easily among the richest and meatiest bowls of khao soi I’ve ever eaten. There’s very little dried spice flavour, but a teaspoon of phrik phao, the condiment of chili flakes fried in oil, made up for this.

Also noteworthy was the way the dish was made. Rather than combine the curry paste, meat and coconut milk in a single broth as many shops do, the cook here started out with a thick, almost stew-like broth of beef and curry paste. To order, scoops of the beefy/spicy stew liquid and a much lighter chicken broth were combined in a bowl, and the lot was garnished with a ladleful of coconut cream. Despite the potential for things to go wrong, the elements blended perfectly, making what must be one of the tastiest bowls of khao soi in the north.

Khao Soi Omar/???????????
Th Suksawat, Lampang
8am-3pm

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One doesn’t have to look particularly hard to find khanom jeen nam ngiaw, fresh rice noodles topped with a pork and tomato mixture, as the dish is available just about everywhere in northern Thailand. But it’s rare to find a version that’s this exceptional.

I think it’s fair to say that the nam ngiaw served at Paa Bun Sri is so smokey they should consider calling it a grilled dish. This is a relic of the days when chilies — in this case those employed in the dish’s curry paste — were dried via the smoke from a hearth. This assertive smokiness was just barely countered by the tartness of tomatoes, and smoothed out by a couple chunks of rib and several cubes of blood. An intriguing bowl of noodles with a lot of delicious, disparate things going on.

Paa Bun Sri/?????????
Th Talad Gao, Lampang
8.30am-4pm

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Phat Thai is a dish that I rarely, if ever, seek out. In general, I tend to find it a bit gloopy and heavy, and up north, as mentioned previously, they do a few things — namely adding pork — that would arguably make the dish even heavier. But somehow, it works.

A standard order of phat Thai at Yay Fong, a street stall near Wat Suan Dok, arrives wrapped in a thin omelet. Inside, you’ll find a tangle of rice noodles that, in addition to the usual phat Thai ingredients — tofu, salted radish, dried shrimp, garlic chives — includes minced pork and pork rinds.  To counter this, the seasoning was just slightly sweet with a bit of tamarind sourness. The dish had a slightly smoky flavour (it was fried in a small wok rather than on the flat round surface that many vendors use) and came served with garlic chives and sprouts and, unusually, a couple leaves of lettuce.

It’s a meaty, moreish (I ate two dishes) phat Thai that’s definitely worth seeking out.

Phat Thai Yay Fong/????????????
Th Boonyawat, Lampang
5-10pm

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Sweet and Sour Pork Noodles

When it comes to cooking, you don’t always have to make everything according to the book. For example: this absolutely delicious and appetizing sweet and sour pork noodles. Who says that sweet and sour pork can only be prepared as an entree and serve with steamed rice only. And certainly, noodle doesn’t have to be the same old chow mein.  Take two of the most popular Chinese recipes and combine them together means that you have the best of both worlds, in one dish! The taste is easy on the palate, the presentation utterly toothsome, what’s more, it’s a fulfilling and satisfying meal. There is nothing not to love about this killer combination.

However, I am not the one who created this winning dish. I was inspired by a cookbook that I browsed randomly at the book store. I came home and created my own version. If you are not a pork eater, you can easily make this dish into a sweet and sour chicken noodles, which I am sure will be equally tantalizing.

This combo has certainly sparked a few ideas in me, think kung pao chikcken noodles. It can’t be half bad!

(Click Page 2 for the Sweet and Sour Pork Noodles Recipe)

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Kimchi Scallion Noodles, and Launch Party Recap

What a week! I had forgotten how good it feels to finally sit down.

Not only are we smack dab in the middle of a frantic holiday season, my cookbook was officially released on Tuesday! And in the days leading up to the book release party in Brooklyn, I was scrambling hard to get everything ready. There were arrangements to be made, groceries and supplies to buy, and plenty of food to make.  Fortunately, decorations were easy enough, after a trip to The Container Store and a paper/craft supply store.

I had the party at 61 Local, a fantastic bar in Carroll Gardens with a gorgeous wide open interior. And for food, I made a big batch of dumplings, Sichuan cucumber salad, and Chinese almond cookies, all recipes straight from the cookbook. For extra fun, there was a raffle for a copy of the book plus a Kung Pao Chicken recipe kit from GrubKit, founded by my friends Max and Barb.

All in all, it was a great night and a great bunch of people, including close friends and family (and many hugs to Barb and my boyfriend who were a huge help before and during the party.)

One of the things I’m constantly amazed by is how much the food blogging and start-up community in New York really support one another. As silly as this may sound, it’s insanely heartwarming.

Those from the food community who came out on Tuesday included Veronica from Food52, Chitra from The ABCD’s of Cooking, Kara from The Great Hot Dog Cook-Off, Melissa from Fork This, Kian from Red Cook, Casey from Good Food Stories, Justin from Justcook NYC, Margaret from Savory Sweet Living, Jackie from The Diva That Ate NY, Dan from ICE Culinary, Jen from Brooklyn Brainery, and Evan from CourseHorse. (If I left out anyone, please let me know!) It’s amazing to think that food writing and teaching has not only brought an opportunity to devote two years to putting out a real live book but has also allowed me to get to know a great group of people, some of whom have become very good friends.

I’ve spent the last couple of days recuperating, answering emails and trying to work on this blog. After the frantic cooking of earlier in the week, I really couldn’t muster up the energy to make anything elaborate for myself.

Which is where these noodles come in. These kimchi scallion noodles are basically ramen dressed with a little flair. They are easy, filling, and make use of ingredients I already had in my fridge and pantry. (Kimchi is a fridge staple here at Appetite for China HQ.) These noodles can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes, and can easily become the sort of comfort food you don’t think twice about making after a long hectic day.

Or at the tail-end of a long, hectic, but incredibly exciting week.

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Kimchi Scallion Noodles

Serves 2 as part of a multi-course meal, or 1 hungry person as a main course

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter2 tablespoons water1 tablespoon soy sauce2 teaspoons sesame oil1 teaspoon sugar3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced2 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup kimchi2 packs instant ramen, flavor packets discarded1 small handful of peanuts, choppedIn a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and water until smooth. Mix in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.Heat a small pan over low heat. Add the scallion whites and garlic and and gently cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant but before the garlic turns brown. Transfer the scallions and garlic to the peanut butter mixture. In the same pan, heat the kimchi on low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just to warm it up (you can leave it in the pan until the ramen is done.)Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the ramen according to package instructions. Drain, return the noodles to the pot, and toss with the peanut butter-scallion mixture and kimchi. Transfer everything to a serving dish, top with the chopped peanuts and scallion greens, and serve._______________________________________More delicious noodle recipes to try:Ramen recipes from fellow bloggers:Tagged as: Noodles, Recipes, Spicy, Vegetarian

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Peanut and Lime Soba Noodles

Is it just me, or has August been a little hectic for you too?  Sure, this is supposed to be the month when most of Western civilization takes long vacations and work a little bit less, if they work at all. But I’ve found myself thrown into weeks of teaching classes, more recipe testing, dealing with website issues, and working on potential business partnerships. All of this is very exciting (well, except for the web issues, which are a pain in the ___), but frankly, I’m exhausted!

Which is why cold summery noodles have been a life saver this month. I make a big batch just before the days I know I’ll be swamped with work, store it in the fridge, and for the next 2 to 3 days just eat it cold come meal time. My standbys lately have been cold sesame noodles, kale and sesame soba, and zucchini noodles, but this week I made a big batch of peanut and lime soba noodles.

For the sauce, I used creamy peanut butter and tamari, which is a bit richer but less salty than regular soy sauce, as a base. Then I just whisked in a bit of water to thin out the thick peanut butter, then mixed a bit of mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. The lime juice goes in right at the end, and makes the sauce go from good to “wow!”

My only regret was that I didn’t make two batches the first time around…

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Peanut and Lime Soba Noodles

Serves 4

1/2 cup frozen edamame, shelled, or substitute frozen peas2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter1 tablespoon tamari, or substitute soy sauce3 tablespoons water2 medium carrots, julienned1 scallion, thinly sliced1 tablespoon sesame oil1 tablespoon mirin1 teaspoon white rice vinegar1 clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon grated ginger8 ounces dried soba noodles1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice1 scallion, thinly sliced2 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts, choppedLime wedges for servingBring a small pot of water to boil. Cook the shelled edamame for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.In a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the tamari and water until smooth. Add the sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger and whisk until well-blended.Bring a medium pot of water to boil and cook the soba until al dente, or the minimum amount of time according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Toss the cooled noodles with the peanut butter sauce. Add the julienned carrots and edamame, drizzle over with the lime juice, and toss again.Transfer to serving dishes and sprinkle the chopped peanuts and scallions on top. Serve the noodles with lime wedges for extra lime flavor.

________________________________

More delicious noodle recipes to try:

Tagged as: Healthy, Noodles, Recipes, Vegetarian

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Wonton Noodles (Malaysian Wantan Mee)

Wonton Noodles (Malaysian Wantan Mee) pictures (1 of 6)

Fern at To Food with Love is a reader of Rasa Malaysia. She often leaves me sweet comments on my recipes, and that’s exactly how I found out her absolutely mouthwatering and delicious blog To Food with Love. A fellow Malaysian who currently resides in Sydney, Fern shares many home-cooked recipes ranging from Malaysian, Chinese, western, baking to desserts. I am particularly drawn to her gorgeous food photography on the site. Please welcome Fern to Rasa Malaysia, with the wonton noodles or Malaysian Wantan Mee recipe. Anthony Bourdain had it in the Penang episode so now the world wants to learn how to make it. Enjoy!

Hello everyone! I’m Fern from To Food with Love, where I share my favourite recipes for home-style Asian cooking and popular Asian street food. I am delighted that Bee has given me this amazing once in a blog-time opportunity to do a guest post on Rasa Malaysia. This is even better than that plane ticket I won ten years ago! Like Bee, I also spent my childhood days in Malaysia, oftentimes a willing spectator, milling around my mother’s kitchen, waiting to execute my duties as the official “taste-tester”.

It was tough choosing a dish to feature in this post, as Bee has covered almost every well-known Malaysian dish on her website, and I didn’t want to repeat any recipes from my previous posts either. I finally settled on Wonton Noodles, because apparently, Anthony Bourdain had a taste of it in Penang and now the whole world wants some wontons too!

Wonton Noodles are known in Chinese dialect as “Wantan Mee”, as the locals would call it. I’m guessing that most of you would be more familiar with the version you get at Hong Kong-style eateries where the noodles don’t look as dark (in all fairness) as the one you see here. This version of “Wantan mee with black sauce” is typically found in KL and the northern part of West Malaysia, including Penang. I was telling Bee that where I come from, the Wonton Noodles are served with an orangey-coloured chilli sauce instead, that is just particular to my hometown. Anyway, I haven’t managed to replicate that sauce yet, but I think I’ve come close with this black version, after a few attempts.

In Malaysia, the basic Wonton Noodles are usually egg noodles tossed in a sauce, topped with Char Siu (Bbq pork), wontons, choy sum and pickled green chillies. I should emphasize that the pickled green chillies are as essential to this dish as are the rest of the ingredients to achieve that authentic balance, and they are really easy to prepare too. In fact, if you just use store-bought Char Siu (or even wontons too), making this dish is really easy. Just make sure that you get good quality fresh egg noodles (not too thin) and your favourite brand of ready-made wonton skins.

(Click Page 2 for the Wonton Noodles Recipe/Malaysian Wantan Mee Recipe)

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Lydia of The Perfect Pantry needs no introduction. A professional food writer, author, cooking instructor, and food blogger extraordinaire, Lydia’s “The Perfect Pantry” is packed with very useful food-related articles, resources, and drool-worthy recipes. Lydia has been a supporter of Rasa Malaysia since the very early days. Her comments are always warm, insightful, but most of all, she has a…

About four years ago, I shared my take on the Vietnamese-style garlic noodles made famous by the An family of Crustacean restaurant. Garlic noodles remain my favorite noodle dish all these years, and the recipe is the ones that I have always tried to perfect each time I make the noodles. That’s the fun of cooking—our cooking skills and techniques…

March, which also happens to be National Noodle Month is drawing to a close and I have just the noodle dish to end the celebration with a bang – Cold Sesame Noodles. This noodle dish of Sichuan origin is perfect for springtime and summertime, especially when it starts to get hot working in the kitchen. It is also a refreshing…

Summer in the US can be scorching hot, which can potentially strip your healthy appetite even though you’re hungry. In times like this, I like to make refreshing and light salads when I am not in the mood to have something heavy. Thai salads always fit the bill as the signature flavors of tart, spicy, sweet, and salty always set…

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Yum Woon Sen (Thai Noodles Salad with Shrimp)

Yum Woon Sen pictures (1 of 4)

Summer in the US can be scorching hot, which can potentially strip your healthy appetite even though you’re hungry. In times like this, I like to make refreshing and light salads when I am not in the mood to have something heavy. Thai salads always fit the bill as the signature flavors of tart, spicy, sweet, and salty always set my mouth watering, for example: green papaya salad or som tam, and yum woon sen, cellophane noodles salad.

Cellophane noodles, also known as glass noodles, mung bean noodles, tang hoon (in Malaysia & Singapore) are a type of Asian noodles made with mung beans. Unlike rice noodles, cellophane noodles have a smooth surface and mouth feel, springy in texture, and almost transparent (hence the name “glass” noodles) when cooked. Many of my favorite Thai dishes are made with this type of noodles, and one of them is yum woon sen.

While you can easily get an order of yum woon sen at any Thai restaurants, I find homemade version so much more appetizing. First of all, I can have as many shrimp as I want in the noodle salad; secondly, I love chilling the salad before serving. On warm summer days when the temperature is baking hot, try this yum woon sen recipe. I am sure you will love the refreshing good taste of this classic Thai salad. You can even make a big batch and serve as a side for your next BBQ party.

(Click Page 2 for the Yum Woon Sen (Thai Noodle Salad with Shrimp) Recipe)

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Even though I don’t share many vegetable recipes on Rasa Malaysia (mostly because I find Asian-style vegetables very hard to shoot), it doesn’t mean that I don’t like them. Dine in or out, I always have a vegetable dish to balance off my meal. I love all kinds of vegetables, be it plain stir-fry, in soups, or in noodles. Vegetable…

When a Michelin-trained private chef writes about food, you know it’s gotta be good and that’s exactly what Zen Chef at Zen Can Cook (previously known as Chefs Gone Wild) delivers–a food blog choked full of scrumptious dishes that rival the finest and best restaurants around. Zen is always wacky, hilarious, and I admire his cooking and wicked writing style (read…

I adore Thai cuisine and am always in search of great Thai cooking blogs. She Simmers is a fabulous resource for Thai cooking with many Thai recipes, including Thai pantry. Authored by the talented Leela, She Simmers is a gem—authentic and easy-to-follow Thai recipes, gorgeous food photography, and beautiful food writing and story-telling. I am a big fan of She…

My friend Chef Robert Danhi and I share a lot of things in common, so it’s no surprise that we hit it off as soon as we connected on Twitter a few years ago. Describing himself as a “hard-boiled egg”—white on the outside but yellow inside—Robert embraces everything Asian when it comes to cooking, eating, and traveling. Every year, Robert…

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Zucchini Noodles with Pan-fried Tofu

I’m going to come clean about a recent addiction.

Don’t worry, it’s not drugs or smoking or cheap vodka. But my doctor still might not approve. You see, a few months ago I discovered my local co-op got fresh almond croissants delivered everyday from Cannelle Patisserie, easily one of the best pastry shops in New York. They are big and filled with almond paste and flakey in the best way possible. I can’t get enough of them.

On a good week, I’d get one or two for breakfast and be done with it. During weaker periods, I’d succomb to three or four in a week. Self control, at least when it comes to croissants, is not my strongest quality.

In an effort to prevent my diet from being way too carb-heavy, I’ve been experimenting with some healthy lunches that aren’t rice- or noodle-based. Or rather, wheat-noodle-based. I still like the thought of having noodles, so why not just make them out of vegetables instead?

(This was also partly influenced by a recent conversation with my friend Justin, who has gone gluten-free and says he has never felt better. I’m not going gluten-free, but maybe more vegetables in place of wheat would make me feel less sluggish day-to-day.)

And so I’ve gotten into the habit of making zucchini noodles, with a sauce similar to the ones I make for soba and other cold noodles. I just use a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini into wide ribbons, briefly cook them, and toss them with a sesame oil, soy sauce (you can also opt for gluten-free soy sauce), and rice vinegar mixture.

To make the dish more filling, I pan-fry some tofu with ginger in a skillet to top off the noodles. Carrots add some nice color, plus they are also easy to julienne, but you can also toss in some chopped kale or boy choy or sliced raw radishes. I also sometimes add nori strips (sliced from nori snack packs) on top for some umami oomph, but you can leave them out if you choose.

Plus, because the noodles can be eaten at room temperature or cold, they’re fantastic for the upcoming summer, which promises to be long and muggy. Make a big batch for the week, eat it straight out of the fridge, and feel less guilty about your morning pastry habits! (Or so I tell myself.)

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Zucchini Noodles with Pan-Fried Tofu

Serves 2 to 3 as a main course

3 large zucchini1 large carrot, peeled3 tablespoons soy sauce (can substitute gluten-free soy sauce)1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar1 pound (1 block) extra-firm tofu1 to 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil1/2 tablespoon minced or grated gingerSalt and pepper to taste1 teaspoon white sesame seedsNori strips, optional (I bought nori snack packs and sliced the sheets into thin strips)With a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini into wide ribbons. (I rotate the zucchini every 2 or 3 slices so the ribbons get a nice thin strip of dark green along the edges.) With a julienne or vegetable peeler, slice the carrot into strips.In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the zucchini and cook for about 1 minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with half of the soy sauce mixture, reserving the other half. Transfer the tossed zucchini noodles to a large serving dish.Drain and rinse the tofu, then cut into flat, bite-sized pieces. Blot the tofu all around with a paper towel (drying the tofu helps it pan-fry better.)In a large skillet, add half the cooking oil. Working in two batches, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown and a little bit crispy on the outside, about 3 minutes per side. Add the ginger to cook for about 30 seconds after the second batch has gotten crispy. Salt and pepper to taste.Top the noodles with the tofu and drizzle the remainder of the soy sauce mixture on top. (If all the tofu doesn’t fit, you can also put any extras in another dish to be served on the side) Sprinkle the sesame seeds and nori strips on top and serve.

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Related posts:

Kale and Sesame Soba Noodles

Cold Sesame Noodles

Stir-fried Vermicelli with Garlic and Scallions

Red Curry Peanut Noodles

Curry Laksa

Tagged as: Noodles, Recipes, Vegetarian

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Vegetable Fried Noodles

Vegetable Fried Noodles pictures (1 of 4)

Even though I don’t share many vegetable recipes on Rasa Malaysia (mostly because I find Asian-style vegetables very hard to shoot), it doesn’t mean that I don’t like them. Dine in or out, I always have a vegetable dish to balance off my meal. I love all kinds of vegetables, be it plain stir-fry, in soups, or in noodles.

Vegetable fried noodles is one recipe that I make use of the different vegetables I love. It reminds me of the 9th Emperor God festival in Malaysia when we observe a pure vegan diet during the festivity. My aunt is a very good cook and her vegetable fried noodles is one of my favorite dishes during the celebration—simple noodles fried with a variety of shredded vegetables.

This is my rendition of her vegetable fried noodles. Instead of using the regular vermicelli or rice noodles, I made the recipe with mung bean noodles (also known as cellophane noodles or glass noodles). I love the slightly starchy and springy texture of this noodle. For vegetables, I used cabbage, carrot, bean sprout, fresh shiitake mushroom, and scallion. It’s simple and humble, the kind of dish that I enjoy especially when I eat too much meat for the week.

Have a great Memorial Day!

(Click Page 2 for the Vegetable Fried Noodles Recipe)

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I have been so busy recently I can hardly find any time to have a breather. If you’ve been following my blog and Twitter, you will know that working on my cookbook has pretty much consumed all my time. As a result, I have been eating out more, and cook only when time permits. In the past, I would always attempt…

When I was in Oahu, other than stuffing my face with malassadas (malasadas), sampling local Hawaiian cuisine, and feasting on shrimp, I ate Japanese food almost every day. Oahu is a real gem for Japanese food, thanks to the many Japanese tourists and also locals who are obsessed with Japanese cuisine. There are countless authentic Japanese restaurants dotting Waikiki Beach:…

(Chinese recipes, prepare authentic Chinese food now!) Vegetables are healthy and great, but they are boring and hard to cook. Unlike protein (such as meat or fish), vegetables don’t have much flavor. In Chinese cooking, the key to cooking vegetable dishes lies in the creative use of  side ingredients and sauces to bring out the taste and texture of vegetables….

This chicken noodles recipe was inspired by a recipe book that I flipped through at my grocery store. The timing couldn’t be better as I had some fresh egg noodles in the fridge, so I made this mouthwatering chicken noodles for lunch yesterday. The best part of this chicken noodles was the chicken. I marinated the chicken with some soy sauce, oyster sauce,…

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