Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables + Spicy Sesame Noodles

I've been flipping through a lot of Southeast Asian cookbooks of late.  Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Laotian and so forth... lots of interesting recipes representing a bunch of regional cooking traditions that share some influences and lots of ingredients, but which produce very different dishes.   Consideration of how those different cuisines overlap and what makes them distinct is what led to today's recipe.

The spicy shrimp and vegetable dish I came up with probably has more in common with Indonesian cooking than with any other specific cuisine - in fact, it closely resembles two different recipes I've seen for an Indonesian dish called Cap Cai - but I incorporated a bunch of my favorite Asian ingredients (including sriracha sauce, hot peppers, white pepper, lime juice and - of course - ginger) to give it some distinct touches.   Better yet, the hot peppers and the broccoli came from our own garden. 

I'm quite pleased with how this dish came out.  It doesn't taste much like anything else I've ever cooked, and  I wasn't sure how well I liked it first, but after a couple bites, the complex mix of flavors really starts to sink in.  The sauce is really the key.  Savory, sweet and subtly hot at the same time, the sauce unifies the shrimp and the various vegetables as a coherent dish, while at the same time it brings forth the distinct flavors of each of those ingredients.  The subtle flavors of the shrimp and cauliflower really stood out, as did the sweetness of the yams, but none of the flavors overwhelmed the others. 

I decided to serve up this new dish with a spicier variant of my Sesame Soba Noodles.  I didn't have soba noodles on hand, but linguine worked just fine, and the extra spiciness provided some continuity with the main dish at the same time the nutty sesame flavor gave the noodles their own distinct flavor.   The Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables would work fine with plain rice or with any of a number of seasoned or plain noodles, and the Spicy Sesame Noodles would likewise go well with a variety of dishes, but they so well together that I decided to present them together in this post.

Hot Pepper Shrimp with Vegetables

yield = 4-5 servings

1 1/4          pounds medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2                fresh hot red peppers, minced
4                teaspoons minced garlic
2                teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/2             teaspoon white pepper
1                large head broccoli, cut into florets
1                medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2/3             cup low-sodium chicken broth
2                tablespoons cornstarch
2                tablespoons fish sauce
2                tablespoons oyster sauce
2                teaspoons fresh, peeled and grated ginger
2                teaspoons sriracha sauce
1                teaspoon granulated (white) sugar
1/2             teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3                tablespoons vegetable oil
1                small yellow onion, thinly-sliced
1                small yam, peeled and diced
6                green onions, white parts only, thinly-sliced
4                ounces of baby spinach

Add shrimp, minced peppers, garlic, white pepper and lime juice to a medium bowl.   Stir to mix thoroughly, then cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and allow to marinate 1/2 hour.

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower until almost done (still a bit crisp).   Spray w/ cold water and set aside.  While the vegetables are steaming, add the chicken broth, cornstarch, fish sauce, oyster sauce, grated ginger, sriracha sauce, sugar and black pepper.  Stir to mix thoroughly, then set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, yam and green onions and cook, stirring often, until the yams have started to soften and the onions are starting to brown (about 5 minutes).  Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan and pour the shrimp and marinade into the center of the pan in a single layer of shrimp.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook another minute. 

Add the chicken broth mixture, stir to combine and cook until the sauce starts to thicken.  Add the steamed vegetables and the spinach to the skillet, stir to mix thoroughly, then transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Spicy Sesame Noodles

yield = 4 servings

3                tablespoons soy sauce
2                tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
2                tablespoons rice vinegar
1                tablespoon honey
1                tablespoon sriracha sauce
2                teaspoons fresh peeled and grated ginger
1/2             teaspoon white pepper
1                pound linguine
1                tablespoon table salt
2                tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1                tablespoons thinly-sliced green onions (green parts only)

Start 3 quarts water boiling in a Dutch oven or similar pan.  Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, sriracha sauce, ginger and white pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook per package directions.  Drain, then immediately transfer pasta to a serving bowl.  Add the soy sauce mixture and one tablespoon of the toasted sesame seeds.   Toss to mix thoroughly, then sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sesame seeds and the green onions.  Serve hot.

Beef Ramen Skillet

Sometimes I don't mind taking a fair bit of time to prepare a meal, but there are other times when I really want something that is fast and easy, yet really good.   That was what I wanted when I designed today's featured recipe.

I wanted something with tender slices of beef, lots of noodles, a blend of Asian flavors and a bit of heat, and I also wanted it to cook up all in one pan.  I consulted various sources to figure out how to put something like that together.  The most helpful one I found was the recipe for Ramen with Beef, Shitakes and Spinach from The Best 30-Minute Recipe.  That one didn't give me exactly what I wanted, but it gave me enough of a start that filling in the rest was pretty easy.

If you're like me, you probably associate ramen noodles with college days, or other times and situations when you had little money to spend on food.  Fact is, the little seasoning packets that come with a pack of ramen are pretty dreadful - lots of over-processed chemicals and a couple days' worth of salt.  But if you toss the seasoning packet and pair them with good ingredients, ramen noodles can be pretty good.

This dish came together really quickly.  Juli was not really a fan - the bitterness of the spinach and black vinegar didn't work for her - but I loved it.  The noodles absorbed almost all the cooking liquid and seasonings, making them incredibly flavorful, while the bits of beef were tender and full of flavor.  Plus, the leftovers warmed up great.   I'll be using this recipe as the basis of some other dishes in the near future.  My hope is that by mixing up the other ingredients and seasonings a bit, I can come up with something similar that Juli likes as much as I do.

Beef Ramen Skillet

yield = 5 servings

1 1/2            pounds beef sirloin, thinly-sliced
3                  tablespoons soy sauce
1                  teaspoon white pepper
2                  tablespoons peanut oil
8                  ounces button mushrooms, quartered
1                  serrano chili pepper, seeded and diced
1                  tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
3                  teaspoons minced garlic
3 1/2            cups low-sodium chicken broth
4                  packages (3 ounce) ramen noodles, seasoning
                    packets discarded
1/4               cup rice wine
1                  tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
1                  tablespoon cornstarch
2                  teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
2                  teaspoons granulated sugar
9                  ounces baby spinach

Toss beef in a bowl with soy sauce and white pepper.  Heat one tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add half of the beef slices and stir-fry until lightly browned.  Transfer cooked beef to a clean bowl and repeat with remaining beef slices.

Add the remaining peanut oil to the skillet and heat to shimmering.  Add the mushrooms and serrano chili and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are browned on all sides (about 5 minutes).  Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 45 seconds). 

Add the broth and bring to a simmer.  Break the blocks of ramen noodles into smaller chunks and add to the skillet, stirring occasionally until the noodles separate and are tender (approximately 2-3 minutes). 

While the noodles are cooking, combine the rice wine, black vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl, mixing thoroughly.  Add the rice wine mixture.  Stir in the spinach a hand full at a time.  When the sauce is thickened, return the beef to the skillet.  Stir together and serve.

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Noodles: Cheater's Method for an Easy Sunday Supper

Today Jeffrey and I both felt worn out.  It was just a really long week, and although Jeffrey had planned to cook something complicated tonight (General Tso's Chicken, and Hot and Sour Soup), we both just wanted some comfort food.  I suggested Chicken and Noodles served over potatoes, with steamed vegetables.  We still have plenty of apples from our apple orchard jaunt, so apple crisp seemed just right for a nice seasonal dessert.

We got home, and I put a large can of chicken stock on the stove and added a package of three chicken breast halves.  While the chicken cooked, I started peeling and slicing apples.  Meanwhile, Jeffrey made the crisp part of our dessert and got to play with the pastry blender.  We got it assembled and put it in the oven.  I removed the partially cooked chicken from the broth and set it on a platter to cool. 

I peeled about four large Yukon gold potatoes and since we didn't want to wait forever for them to cook, also sliced them.  Then I put them on to boil.  Jeffrey cut the warm chicken into cubes while I added the noodles to the chicken broth.  As soon as he finished cutting the chicken, it went into the noodle pot.

I washed some fresh broccoli and pared and cut up one carrot and put them in our rice cooker/vegetable steamer, then added seasoning and spices to the chicken noodles, along with a small additional can of chicken broth. 

When the potatoes were done, I drained the water, added a stick of butter (I know, that sounds like a lot!) and a little bit of milk, and mashed them right in the pan. 

Miraculously, everything was done when the apple crisp timer buzzed!

I call this the cheater's method because I used Reames frozen egg noodles instead of making them from scratch, and cut the potatoes up into slices instead of boiling them whole.  Side note:  Did you know Reames noodles were developed in Clive, Iowa?

Julianne's Chicken and Noodles

1 49-ounce can          low sodium chicken broth

2 pounds                    boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 16-ounce package   Reames frozen egg noodles

1 14.5-ounce can        low sodium chicken broth

5 teaspoons               L.B. Jamison's low sodium chicken flavored soup base

1 to 1 ½ teaspoons     fresh ground black pepper

½ teaspoon                dried parsley flakes

1/8 teaspoon             onion powder

1.  Heat the 49-ounce can of chicken broth over medium high heat.  Add chicken breast pieces and cook until chicken turns white.  Remove from stock and allow to cool.

2.  Add the frozen noodles to the hot broth and continue to cook.  When chicken is cooled, cut into bite-sized cubes.  When most of the liquid has boiled down, add the 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth, the chicken cubes, and all remaining ingredients.  Cook until the chicken and noodles are thickened as much as you like them.

Fast Mashed Potatoes

4-6 large                     Yukon gold potatoes

1 stick                         butter

splash of                      milk

Peel potatoes and if you're in a hurry, slice.  Cook in a small pot of boiling water until done.  Drain potatoes in a metal colander.  Melt butter in the cooking pot, and add drained potatoes.  Add a splash of milk and mash by hand using either a potato masher or a fork. 

Serve the Chicken and Noodles over hot mashed potatoes with a vegetable side of your choice.  Enjoy!

Julianne's Apple Crisp

This recipe came to me years ago from Kay Miller of Cherokee, Iowa.

4-5 large          tart apples

1 tablespoon      lemon juice

½ cup                white sugar

½ cup                butter

½ cup                brown sugar

1 cup                 flour

1 teaspoon         cinnamon

1 teaspoon         apple pie spice

½ teaspoon        nutmeg

1.  Peel apples and slice thinly.  Place into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.  Drizzle with the lemon juice, mix well with a spoon, and sprinkle the white sugar over all.

2.  Cut the remaining ingredients into fine crumbs with a pastry blender.  Pour over apple slices.  Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Grandma's Ladle

Jeffrey was able to locate Grandma's ladle!  He'd brought it to serve Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai) at a work potluck, and then later the ladle disappeared.  I was a bit sad about that, but today the lost was found!  It turned out that someone at Jeffrey's office had helpfully washed it-  and then buried it away in a drawer under a bunch of other stuff.



Sorry about the shadows!



I have such fond memories of Grandma's cooking, and this ladle in particular. Grandma sometimes used it to serve up chicken and noodles (among other things), which was a family favorite. 


Actually, pretty much any kind of noodle was a specialty of hers, but the chicken noodles were the absolute best.  My mom, sister and I all tried making them while Grandma was still alive, with non-spectacular results- it's a family joke that Mom's first attempt was more like boiled rubber bands than noodles.


Here is the recipe:

Grandma's Noodles

2                     eggs

1 tablespoon   water

1 1/2 cups       flour plus 1 teaspoon salt

2 quarts          broth

drop or two    yellow food coloring

Beat eggs and water and stir in flour and salt and roll out on a floured board.    Knead in more flour as needed to get a rollable dough. 

Put flour on board and roll out thin.  Then fold or roll up and cut thin.  Noodles can be dried or frozen at this point if you don't want to cook them right away.

Heat broth in a Dutch oven.  Have broth boiling hot and add a drop or two of yellow food coloring.  Stir well, then drop the noodles in, stirring constantly.  Turn heat to low.  Put  a lid on the pot for the first 15 minutes of cooking.  Cook for about an hour total. 

When Grandma had to go to hospice care, she told mom one of her secrets- she never exactly measured the water, just filled one of the broken egg-shells.  I'm not sure that's the difference between Noodle Nirvana and Boiled Rubber Bands, but I thought I'd pass along the info just in case.

Anyway, have you taken a look at what passes for a ladle these days?  Pathetic!  I don't trust meltable plastic with boiling hot liquids, and this one has an off-kilter angle to the bowl of the ladle that I don't care for.

Here's the sad spoon we were using until the Plastic Ladle was brought home:  it has a very shallow bowl, and again, an awkward angle.

Ah, the glory of the old-fashioned ladle!

In case you're interested, I've identified this as the Ekco Forge Stainless Steel Ladle.  I'm guessing it was made in the 50's or 60's.  Do you have a favorite kitchen tool?  Leave us a comment below!