New Noodles

I've not only been lazy about blogging I've been lazy bones in the kitchen too.  Sometimes it seems as if we eat the same thing over and over.  We've been in a rut here lately with weekly servings of spaghetti, roasted chicken and potatoes, red meat with garlic salad, pizza and more chicken.  Granted all of that is homemade, with the exception of the pizza. Kevin has been great about cooking while I was working late and on weekends, but now that my summer hiatus has officially begun I've decided it's time to get back to what I do best...experimenting in the kitchen.

I wanted to make Asian food last night, but I don't have a large repertoire of Asian recipes floating around in my head.  I grabbed an issue of Fine Cooking hoping for a great new recipe.  I found an article entitled Use Your Noodle which listed recipes using a range of Asian style noodles.  I have limited knowledge of cooking with Asian noodles, Top Ramen being my only real experience; however, I decided to try something new because the recipe for rice noodles with shrimp and cilantro was exactly what I had in mind for dinner.

Kevin loves spicy and this dish called for red bell pepper and jalapeno.  I knew he could fire it up with some chicken death sauce, and I could be content with the limey, fresh cilantro summer sun flavor of the sauce.

I kept a close eye on my sauce whenever Kevin was near for fear he would sabotage it with Tabasco.  It turned out great the peppers gave it a nice flavor without being HOT and Kevin enjoyed the additional hellfire he placed in his own bowl. 

I had a little trouble with the noodles.  I cooked them according to the directions below, but some of the noodles were still hard.   The package read that you should soak them in hot water for 45 minutes, but mentioned nothing of the boiling that was called for in the recipe.  Since the recipe didn't turn out the results I wanted, I soaked the parboiled noodles in hot water while I finished the rest of the dish.  This was sufficient to finish the noodles and keep them from getting cold.

Here is the recipe from Fine Cooking.  I didn't do anything different other than use 11/2 limes instead of just 1 in the sauce and I used ponzu instead of regular soy.I like to boost the citrus flavor paired with the fish sauce, and I used a pound of the smaller shrimp.  Ete Schmakalik!

Ingredients for 3-4 servings, but Kevin and I ate it all :)

6oz pad thai noodles
2 medium limes, i juiced and 1sliced in wedges for serving
11/2 tbs. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
3/4 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
3 tbs. canola or peanut oil - i used vegetable
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 medium bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced - I used the entire pepper.
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced - I used 2 medium
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro - I used a handful

For the noodles- Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Add the noodles, lower the heat to gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, (HUH, maybe that's why it didn't work so well for me I don't think I actually read ALL the directions. I definitely didn't stir or reduce to simmer.) until the noodles are just tender, 5 - 7 minutes.  Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.

For the sauce- combine the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce, set aside.

For the shrimp- toss with 1tbs. oil, coriander and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Took Cook- heat 2 tbs. oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.  Add the red pepper, jalapeno, and shallot, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, and cook stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until it turns pink and is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Add the lime juice mixture and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.  Add the noodles and half of the cilantro: toss until the noodles heat through and pick up the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

To Serve- sprinkle with remaining cilantro and the lime wedges.