If you don’t mind 10 to 15 minutes of prep work, these noodles might save some hungry souls in your home, too. They can be dressed with almost every kind of semi-neglected vegetables in your fridge drawer, but the cabbage & carrot version is so good, this bowl has become the prime reason for me to drag home a head of pointed cabbage.
This noodle bowl has been a long-time regular on our table, in different variations. It is super quick to prepare and it’s a meal, that not only feeds two hungry souls, but leaves you really satisfied and happy. Yes, noodles can do that. And just writing about them makes me crave them again, even though a pot of the most fragrant homemade chicken soup is waiting for me tonight… Super important: the final seasoning touch with a mix of soy sauce, black rice vinegar and dark sesame oil, so don’t skimp on it!
Start by preparing the (washed) vegetables: Peel and cut the carrot into fine julienne stripes, half or quarter the cabbage and cut it into fine stripes (you will need 1/4 to 1/3 of one head), peel and cut the onion lengthwise into thin slices. Cut the spring onions into rings (white and green parts), finely chop the chile pepper, coarsely chop the peanuts, then peel and grate ginger and garlic cloves. Lastly chop the cilantro leaves (you may want to keep a few leaves whole for final decoration).
Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the noodles according to the packaging instructions. Drain in a colander. I rinse them generously with cold water (considered a sacrilege in Italian pasta cooking!) to prevent clumping and minimize further cooking.
Heat a wok or large frying pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil, before sautéing the sliced onions until lightly golden. Add carrots and cabbage and stir-fry until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in spring onion rings (optionally reserve some for the finishing touch), chili, ginger and garlic and sear for another minute or two.
Toss in cooked noodles and stir until well combined. Season to taste with soy sauce, black rice vinegar and dark sesame oil (seasoning is key to this kind of noodle dishes, so don’t be too shy!).
Serve in bowls. Top generously with chopped cilantro, spring onion rings and peanuts. I always put soy sauce, black rice vinegar, roasted sesame oil and chili oil on the table, so everybody can help himself to adapt the noodles to their liking.
Lifesaver Noodles
Recipe source: own creation
Preparation & cooking: 20-25 min.
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Ingredients (for 2 bowls):
1 large carrot
1/4 to 1/3 of one head pointed cabbage
1 onion
3-4 spring onions
~1/2-1 large red chile pepper
3-4 tbsp peanuts (salted or not)
4-5 cm (~2 in) of fresh ginger
1-2 garlic cloves (optional)
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
125-175 g Mie noodles or Chinese egg noodles
2-3 tbsp peanut oil
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp black rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp dark sesame oil
Feb 2nd,
2015
Hallo Nicky,
with noodles you can't go wrong. And this recipe looks really great.
Thank you for sharing!
Greetings from Munich to Munich!
Maria