What about all these noodles............
..........package after package of noodles, and almost half of them don't have any regular flour or semolina!
The other day I was in the mood for pasta, today I wanted noodles. I'm still not sure what the difference is, but here's how I sort of think of it: I think of pasta as being used in European dishes and noodles as being used in Asian dishes. And I particularly love rice noodles. They're slurpy and delicious and can be gummy or slightly chewy.
Last week I was flipping through t.v. channels and I stumbled across Martha Stewart. I've never watched her show since I've always thought I don't like her. "How can you not like her when you've never seen her show?" you ask..... I don't know. I guess I don't like her image as portrayed in the media. She seems a bit stuffy to me. But anyway... this was In the Kitchen With Martha Stewart, or something like that, and she had a guest on who authored one of my favorite cookbooks, Hot Sour Salty Sweet. If you don't already own this cookbook, you need to stop reading right here and run out directly to buy it. Or, better yet, open a second browser window and order it from amazon.com.
This guy, Jeffrey Alford, and his wife, Naomi Duguid, spent a couple of years traveling around southeast Asia eating great food and collecting recipes. Actually, browsing through this book is sort of a love/hate thing for me. The cookbook is amazing, but it's impossible for me to browse through the book and not feel that little green monster climbing up my back. I wish I had been the one to eat my way through Asia and write about it!
Anyway, this book is filled with gorgeous pictures from their travels, fascinating information about the evolution of food traditions, interesting anecdotes, and wonderful recipes. The recipe Jeffrey was showing Martha how to make was one out of his cookbook that I had already tried. Today, it sounded like just what I was in the mood for so off I went to buy the ingredients missing from my kitchen. I actually had all the pantry ingredients but had to buy the baby bok choy and the pork butt.
Here's my somewhat modified version of the recipe for Noodles with Greens and Gravy
1 lb wide dried rice noodles
peanut oil
1/4 c. minced garlic
1 lb thinly sliced pork butt or shoulder
2 t sugar plus a pinch
1 1/2 to 2 lb baby bok choy
2 T fermented soybean paste (mashed, if needed)
2 T soy sauce
3 T fish sauce
3 T rice vinegar
1 t pure chili powder (or to taste. I use Indian chili powder)
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 c. water
chopped peanuts
Soften the rice noodles in hot water and then quickly pan fry them in a T of peanut oil. Do this in two batches so you can press them against the wok as they cook. Remove the noodles and set aside.
Mix together the soybean paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, 2 t sugar and chili powder.
Next fry the garlic in another T of peanut oil until it starts to brown (usually, cookbooks tell you not to let garlic brown as it will turn bitter, but Alford claims that golden brown garlic is a Thai tradition and actually, it has a great flavor!) then throw in the thinly sliced pork and add a pinch of sugar. Cook until it starts to lose it's pink color and then toss in the bok choy. Press the bok choy against the wok and cook until it starts to wilt.
Dump in the sauce ingredients. Stir and mix. Add the chicken broth and bring to a quick boil. Cover the wok and let everything steam for a minute or so. Remove the cover and add the cornstarch slurpy. Stir and let simmer until the sauce thickens.
To serve, place some noodles on a plate or in a large bowl and ladle the sauce over top. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and peanuts and dig in. This dish is so good.....really! And once you have all the ingredients assembled, it goes together quickly!
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