Soba Noodles with Garlic Chives

I change my blog address to a dot com, so I hope this doesn't mess you up in google reader or however else you might follow my blog! Thanks for sticking with me on this.
I found some of these flowering chives at the Vietnamese store near my husbands work. I like to get the different vegetables that I see there and don't see in the supermarket, and then try them out in a dish. Lately I have seen flowering chives, also called garlic chives on a few different blogs, so I got some ideas and was all set to go. Of course I usually would just end up using most of the with noodles or a stir fry.

From this store they came in a good size bunch, but it does seem to hold up well in the fridge. I like the mild garlic flavor and have been adding them to scrambled eggs, potatoes, and chicken salad so far...
...for this dish I used some cooked chicken and a few other veggies that I had little bits left in the fridge.

Ingredients:
8 oz cooked chicken
a small bunch of garlic chives
2 packets soba noodles cooked
4 oz snow peas
4 oz bok choy or carrots, or whatever other vegetables you might have
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic-chili sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

Prepare the vegetables, by washing and chopping into uniform sizes..cut the chives in about 2"-3" size pieces...use the buds, but get rid of the tough ends. Remove the strings in the snow peas, you can cut them or leave them whole. If using carrots julienne cut them about the size of the chives.

In a heated wok or skillet add a little oil then toss in the veggies that take the longest to cook first, add a little water if needed to help steam them...add the garlic and chives, then the rest of the seasoning. You could add the garlic first in the heated oil for about 30 seconds, but I'm always afraid it's going to burn...and you know how bad burnt garlic tastes. Since the meat I was using was already cooked you are just...

...heating it through. If you are using greens that are bitter add a splash of Chinese black vinegar or Chinese cooking wine.

Place a serving of the noodles in a bowl (I like to add a little toasted sesame oil to the noodles)...then the chicken veggies on top. You could toss it all together in the pan first if it works better for you.

As with many of the dishes that I make they are so versatile and you can adjust the seasoning and additions to suit your family. I just want you to get out there and try some new-to-you ingredients and have some fun in the kitchen! Then of course those of you who use these all the time can give me some more tips and ideas!!

Crispy Tofu on Udon Noodles

I made my version of tofu pakora and served it to my daughter and her friend that came over to watch America's Next Top Model. Her friend said this was the first time she's had tofu....they finished the plate like an appetizer. I thought I would try breading tofu with chickpea flour, it is super easy this way no need to dust with flour, then dip in egg, then dip in coating. I just mixed the pressed* and cubed tofu with some garlic ginger paste, pinch of chili, a little cumin, and garam masala. *To press I used firm tofu, drain and place between several sheets of paper towels and set something heavy on top, just to get the moisture out. Of course use a tofu press if you have one. Then added some chickpea flour and rice flour (3 to 1 ratio) until it was coated enough and stuck to the tofu, and salt to taste. Pan fry it until nice and crisp just the way you like it. I served some to the girls like this with cute little picks, and they finished it so quickly I didn't get a photo of that plate, nor did I get a chance to make a dipping sauce for it. So they both ate their udon noodles with out the tofu, and they both loved it anyway.

I was able to save some tofu for my husband and myself, so I set the tofu aside and fixed the udon noodles.

INGREDIENT: fresh udon noodles fresh greens I think I used Chinese broccoli, you can use baby bock choy or U-choy whatever you like 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon tahini 1 clove garlic chopped 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (optional, I like to use this if the greens are bitter) 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (optional ,or add more depending how spicy you like it) Cook noodles according to package directions, don't add the seasoning packet if it came with one. Heat oil on medium and cook greens until soft, add garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes keep stirring, careful not to burn it. Add noodles and the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Toss on the tofu last to keep it crisp.

Maranda's friend was saying she's never had udon noodles before either and she likes coming over here to eat because she gets to try new things. Her brother won't eat vegetables, so she said this was a treat having it with noodles. It's so nice hearing that, it's better than some friends that might turned up their nose at it. You know how kids are. :D

This has been added to My Meatless Mondays

Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce

This is a simple sauce that is very versatile. You can add any grilled meats or seafood. If you prefer tofu or vegetables, that would work great too. In my opinion any noodles would be good like this...even cold.

I first saw this on White on Rice Couple which they adapted from Takashi's Noodles Cookbook. Of course theirs look beautiful and elegant, mine is something I just threw together for a good quick meal! I like using this base recipe for that reason (quick and so versatile) and sometime use less mirin so it's not as sweet. As always it's adjustable to your tastes.

Cook noodles according to package. They used somen noodles, I used a flat rice noodle (my daughter's choice) Drain and set aside.
Combine:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. mirin
1/2 t. grated or minced garlic
1 t. grated ginger
2 t. sesame oil
1 t. chili paste, chili garlic sauce or chili flakes
add a little water if it's too salty
Steamed/stir-fried veggies (optional)
Grilled/stir-fried meat (optional)

Garnish with green onions if desired or whatever else you like, or not...

Oops... I forgot the garnish! Too much going on I guess.

One of my last posts I mentioned my daughter's birthday outing on the boat. Well I am sharing the dolphin that joined us for a bit...

We often see dolphins when we are out on or near the water here in Sarasota. I always seem to catch a picture of their backs, fins, tails or the swirl of water.

This one swam right up with us for a little while so at least I could get a close up of a face when he popped up to say "hello"...okay yeah he was probably looking for a handout!

It was still difficult getting a good shot with the boat and dolphin moving! It was fun though, and I never get tired of seeing dolphins...or any other water wild life we come across!

Udon Noodles with Black Bean Sauce.

My schedule has changes a lot lately and I now have to take some classes after all day at work. The classes are 2 - 2 1/2 hours long 3 times a week for eight weeks. This has cut drastically into my blog time, and sorry to say, my cooking time. So when I get a chance I will surely post any chance I get. It is hard to come up with something new when you have to prepare a meal in such little time. So I thought I would share just something I threw together with what I have on hand. Which seems to happen often even if I'm not super busy!

I had some fresh udon noodles in the fridge, which are always nice to have because you can have them ready in a short time. I also had some arugula and fresh baby spinach, (I would of used red bell peppers for color if my husband liked peppers)

This is what I used, you can adjust any of the ingredients and amounts to your liking!

2 packages of fresh udon noodles
1 pound ground chicken (use any minced meat that you want)
2 shallots minced
1 tsp garlic ginger paste
2 tsp tahini (optional)
2 tbsp black bean sauce
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp chili sauce
1/2 cup broth
1/2 tsp sesame oil
any veggies that you have on hand.

If you don't have the sweet soy sauce you can use what you have, then you can use sweet chili sauce instead.

In a heat resistant bowl or in a pan pour boiling water to cover the fresh noodles for around 5 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok brown the minced meat, use a little oil if needed, then add the shallots, ginger garlic paste, chili sauce, and black bean paste. Add the stock and cook vegetable that needs to be cooked at this time (like snap peas or red peppers if that's what you are using). Add the noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil and tahini and mix it together well. I like to add the spinach and arugula near the end because it doesn't need much cooking time. I also added some black Chinese vinegar near the end to cut the bitterness of the spinach and arugula.


So there you go another quick meal on the table!

Here is by bird of paradise that is in blossom. I know in other countries it's sometimes called something else. My friend from South Africa told me it is called a name that means burning ship, I forget the name, I'll have to call her and ask. I just wanted to add a little color...

Edited to add: I just spoke with my friend and she said it was an Afrikaans name, "skip wat brandt" translates as "ship that is burning"

..you still have to take some time to stop and enjoy the flowers! Can't say "smell the roses" I don't have any roses anymore in my yard, but I have Jasmine and that is always nice to smell.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Quick midweek dinner!

I'm sure this has happened to you. I was planning on making some dumplings and had my minced pork already mixed in with some goodness ready to go. Well...I found out my gyoza wrappers were not ready to use, they were still in the freezer. So change of plans...

I have been wanting to make Ants Climbing up a Tree but I didn't have the bean thread noodles yet to make it, but thought I could use different noodles. I don't usually get ground meats until the day that I am going to use it, I don't like it hanging around too long uncooked. I needed to use it up, so...I had to improvise.

The meat was already mixed with shallots, carrots, lemongrass, ginger, and toasted sesame oil, I just dumped it into my wok pan and browned it. A few things were in there that I probably would not of added if doing it the proper way. This is what I ended up with.

1 1b ground pork

1 tablespoon of peanut oil (I used sesame oil)

2 shallots diced

1 carrot small diced

1 tablespoon lemongrass (optional)

1 tsp garlic ginger sauce (optional)

2 tsp fresh minced gingeroot (optional)

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce ( I didn't have chili bean paste)

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

3/4 cups chicken stock

I used Vietnamese noodles (I let Maranda choose)

Top with finely chopped scallions (optional) I used bean sprouts because I was going to use them in the dumplings.

Combine the meat light soy, salt, sesame oil, ginger, carrot, shallots, lemongrass, and ginger garlic paste ( I think I used some sesame paste too). In a preheated wok or deep pan cook the meat mixture until brown. Add the chili garlic sauce, oyster sauce and stir rapidly, stir in the dark soy sauce.

Pour in the broth, noodles*, and you can add a little more light soy sauce at this time. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes, shake the pan but do not stir, toss with scallions right before serving.

If you are not using glass noodles, just pour in the broth and simmer then serve over cooked noodles. I put them in individual bowls. I hope this make sense!

Maranda's dish without anything added on top! The carrots and shallots became a little caramelized and were very flavorful!

I had some long beans and blanched the sprouts to add to ours. It was tasty, and full of flavor! I guess this is a hodgepodge ants climbing up a tree...or my version!