Your Cooking Coach
Show MenuHide Menu

Tag: rice noodles

Spicy Bok Choy and Pork Noodles

This recipe is also taken from NY Times cooking section…

  • 4 to 5 baby bok choy heads, trimmed with the dark green tops and white stems separated. The white stems should be chopped and the greens sliced in half.
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 16 ounces rice noodles (I used rice udon noodles), prepared according to package directions
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 pound good quality ground pork
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • ½ cup torn cilantro

Heat a wok like pan on high with 2 tablespoons oil. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork or back of a wooden spoon until golden and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Add the remaining oil to the same pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Cook until fragrant on medium heat for about a minute. Add the bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the pork back to the pan. Toss the noodles, remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Cook till heated through. Check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.

Rice Noodles with Shrimp Curry and Chinese Broccoli

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 8 allspice berries

Toast the spices in a dry cast iron pan on medium heat until fragrant and grind in a spice mill. Keep aside.

  • 1 pound rice noodles, cooked according to package directions. Drizzle a bit of oil, mix well and keep aside.
  •  2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lemongrass, chopped finely
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Juice and zest of one large lime
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 14 ounces can of coconut milk
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, chopped
  • 3 green onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Heat a wok like pan with the coconut oil. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lemongrass, garlic and ginger and cook for another 4 minutes. Add the spice mix, turmeric, cayenne pepper, juice and zest of lime, salt, fish sauce and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Chinese broccoli and shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Check for seasonings and add the green onion, mint, cilantro and basil.

Dip the noodles briefly in hot water, drain and add some to each serving bowl. Top with the shrimp curry and serve warm.

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

This was yummy, yummy! We just got a new Asian store near our house and I am super excited to be able to buy all the yummy veggies like Chinese broccoli and fresh noodles, etc any time I want….

  • 16 ounces rice noodles (any variety will do. I was able to find the actual wide rice noodles), cooked according to package directions. Drain well and drizzle with some oil to prevent sticking together. Be careful not to over cook.

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce (if you don’t have dark soy sauce, just add extra regular soy sauce with a bit of sugar)
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (eliminate if vegetarian)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Mix together and keep aside.

  • 2 to 3 chicken thighs (partly frozen so they can be sliced thin), sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Marinate chicken in soy sauce for 2 to 3 hours.

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 bunch Chinese broccoli, leaves separated and chopped/stems chopped separately
  • 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the Chinese broccoli stalks and garlic. Saute on a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and sauté on high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and repeat the process. Add the noodles and the sauce. Mix well and make room in the middle of the pan and add the eggs. Stir well as the egg cooks and coats all the noodles. Check for seasonings and add the green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.

Day Three- Goodbye to Cochin

Day three started with the usual breakfast and a pot of South Indian coffee. It was our last day here and we wanted to make the best of it. We got ready and walked by the ocean to the main tourist area. After visiting a few shops, we decided on a seemingly local and modest restaurant for drinks and lunch. We were expecting some really delicious cuisine at extremely reasonable prices. We ordered a beer and a fresh lime soda (lemonade). The prices were not modest at all. The fresh lime soda was not well made and we were not happy. We decided to cancel our calamari masala and go across the street to Hotel Brunton Boatyard- a beautiful, old building set by the ocean. We walked in and they showed us to their restaurant set in a beautiful yard overlooking the ocean. The warm breeze welcomed us as we sat down- we knew we had made the right decision.

I ordered something called a Meen curry, which was fish of the day cooked in local spices with red rice. My husband decided on a prawn curry served with noodles made with rice dough. Both the dishes were wonderful but the shrimp dish was outstanding. We sat back and enjoyed the view, the delicious food and the awesome view. The trip was short but chockfull of amazing food and some good shopping.

Meen Curry Prawn Curry with Rice Noodles

I ordered a lemongrass coulis and guava ice cream for dessert. I love guavas but was not sure how the two flavors would complement each other. Of course a pot of coffee came as well – it was my last chance to enjoy the delicious coffee before we left Cochin. The dessert was amazing – the two flavors were made for each other. The experience was wonderful- the service was outstanding. We were greeted as we left and we promised to come stay with them when we return….

South Indian Coffee2

Pad Thai with Seasoned Tofu

Pad Thai1 I made this dish after reviewing a restaurant Nine Thai in Chatham, NJ. It was a really good restaurant with a friendly staff and great food. I gave it a great review and decided to replicate their pad thai at home.

I have been eating pad thai for years now and love ordering it at restaurants. I have always thought this dish as extremely complicated and hard to make.

Since I had to replicate a dish, I decided to take this one on. After a bit of research, I realized the noodle dish is really not hard to make- it just has a lot of ingredients. Once you have them on hand- it doesn’t take that long. You can control the amount of fat and salt when you make popular take out dishes at home.

In this case, I made it super healthy with tofu, bean sprouts and garlic chives. I had most of the ingredients at home- like tamarind, fish sauce, tamari, etc. I decided not to add any meat but it will be delicious with chicken or shrimp.

If you love eating pad thai in a restaurant, definitely make this homemade version- it is delicious.

  • 10 oz extra firm tofu, cut into thin strips about an inch long
  • 2 teaspoons tamari

Place the tofu strips in a zip lock bag with the tamari and marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

  • ½ pound rice noodles- soaked in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic

Mix the tamarind, fish sauce, palm sugar and chili paste in a small bowl and keep aside,

  • 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 2 medium shallots, sliced thin
  • 3 green onions, chopped (white parts only- save the green parts for the garnish)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup garlic chives, cut into 1 inch long segments (optional)
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 2 eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon salt

Garnish

  • 1 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 3 green onions, chopped (the green parts only)
  • One lime cut into wedges

In a large frying pan or a wok like sauce pan heat the olive oil and add the marinated tofu. Saute on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or till the tofu is golden brown. Add the shallots, white parts of the green onions and garlic. Saute on medium high heat for a minute. Add the garlic chives and sprouts and mix well. Move all the mixture to the side of the pan and make a well in the middle. Drop the eggs and scramble for 30 seconds and then mix with the rest of the mixture. Add the drained noodles and mix well. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tamarind mixture and mix well. Add the peanuts, cilantro and green onions. Mix well and check for seasonings. Squeeze the lime and serve.