Living in Asian countries for nearly 9 years gave me a deep appreciation and love for noodles - in soups/broths, salads and stir fries. Stir fried noodles can be adapted to any cuisine by changing the sauce, noodle type and vegetables/seafood/meat.
Here is one iteration I came up with when I was craving savoury noodles for dinner.
Preparing the vegetables, noodles and sauce ahead of time is the key to being able to cook quickly so you end up with a dish that is fresh and tasty! Use a knife or a mandolin which ever you feel more comfortable with. They cook in 5-6 minutes
Once you have a wok you like and have mastered the basic method, you can make a wide variety of noodles. I like using a non stick ceramic wok which I do NOT heat to smoking point. I use a moderate to moderately high heat and find I can still cook my dishes quickly with good outcomes without large flames, extra high heat and filling the kitchen with smoke. The trick is to cook swiftly, add your ingredients in quickly and do not be tempted to over cook.
This serves 2.
Stir Fried Noodles
Ingredients
75-100 grams organic sweet potato noodles or brown rice noodles (or noodles of your choice)
3-4 slices red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, ends trimmed, peeled and julienned
1/2 red pepper, stem and seeds removed and julienned
Daikon pickles, julienned
150 grams button mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
2 handfuls of fresh mung bean sprouts
2 tbs activated cashews, lightly pounded
lime juice, for serving
Sauce
1 tbs tamarind paste
2 tbs No fish sauce (see blog dated ) (or 1 tbs Redboat/Son fish sauce)
salt and pepper to taste (omit if using fish sauce)
1 tbs vegan oyster sauce (see post dated )
1 tbs raw honey/maple syrup/organic coconut sugar
1 tsp hot sauce (optional)(see post dated )
Method
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
Heat up several cups of filtered water to a boil in your wok. Add the noodles of your choice and cook about 1 minute less than package instructions specifies.
Prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Trim and peel the carrot, slice and julienne. Cut the stem and remove the seeds from the red pepper, slice and cut into 1 inch lengths. Wash, spin and dry the mung bean sprouts. Dust and chop the mushrooms. Place the cashews in a small mort & pestle and gently pound.
Drain the noodles and place in your bowl along with about 2 tbs of sauce, mix through and set aside.
Heat the wok to a medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the carrot and daikon pickle and cook for another 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high, add the noodles, red pepper and remaining sauce and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Turn off the heat. Add the mung bean sprouts. Mix through
Serve on to plates and sprinkle cashews and a tsp or 2 of fresh lime juice on top.
Enjoy immediately.