Mee Ga-Ti Rice Noodles with Coconut-Bean Sauce

This recipe comes from my cooking class that I took last month where we received a cookbook along with the class fee. When I first heard that Chef Nancy was making this, I have to admit that I was leery. Afraid that the sauce would be too sweet because of the coconut milk, I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the dish and it ended up being my favorite dish that she demonstrated that night.

Mee Ga-Ti Rice Noodles with Coconut-Bean Sauce from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott

8 oz dried rice noodles, either wire-think or about the width of linguine or fettuccine (I used the wider ones)
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (MAKE SURE THAT IT'S UNSWEETENED!)
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/3 cup Asian bean sauce (you will need to go to an Asian grocery store for this)
8 oz firm tofu, cut into slender 1-inch long rods
2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into thin half-moons, or cut into slender 2 inch long rods
2 tbs Tamarind Liquid or freshly squeezed lime juice (I used my Tamarind paste--about 1 tbs)
2 tbs Vegetable stock
2 tbs sugar
1 teas salt
1 teas freshly ground pepper
1 teas red chili pepper flakes
A handful of fresh garlic chives, cut into 2-inch lengths, or 3 green onions, white part thinly sliced crosswise and green part cut into 2 inch lengths
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

Put the dried rice noodles in a bowl, add warm water to cover, and let stand until limp and liable, 15 to 20 minutes. Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of egg added to the pan sizzles at once, about 1 minute. Add only enough of the eggs to coat the pan, swirling to make a thin sheet. Cook until the egg sets, about 30 seconds. Flip it to warm the other side, and then turn it out onto a cutting board to cool. Repeat with the remaining egg, When the egg sheets are cool, shred them into fine strips and set aside.

Drain the noodles and add them to the boiling water. Cook until tender but still firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Pour the coconut milk into a medium skillet, place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it gives off a sweet aroma and thickens a little, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the shallots, bean sauce, tofu and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the tamarind or lime juice, vegetable stock, sugar, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the noodles, the garlic chives or green onions, and most of the bean sprouts, reserving a handful for garnish. Toss well to coat everything with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the cilantro. Garnish with the reserved bean sprouts and the lime wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Miso-Sake Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad

Another delicious recipe from Chef Nancy!

Soba Noodle Salad
1 lb soba (I used a buckwheat one)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs sesame oil
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 tea. sugar
1 tea. chile garlic sauce
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 cup sliced scallions, divided
2 carrots, julienned

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and set aside to drain well.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and chile garlic sauce . In large bowl, toss noodles with sauce to coat well. Marinate at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours in refrigerator, tossing occasionally.

Stir in red bell pepper, 2/3 scallions and carrots. let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Mound noodles on top and scatter remaining scallions over noodles. Top with seared salmon.

Serves 8

Miso-Sake Salmon
8 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillets
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1/4 cup white miso
2 Tbs brown sugar
vegetable oil for searing

Combine mirin, sake, soy, vinegar, miso and brown sugar to make a marinade. Coat salmon fillets with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Longer than 24 hours and the fish may be too salty.

A few few hours before you are ready to serve, prepare the noodle salad and set aside. Salad is best if you make it at least 2 hours in advance.

Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet until just starting to smoke. Remove salmon from marinade and wipe off excess. Sear salmon over medium-high heat until well browned on each side and fish is just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve salmon with noodle salad.

Pad Thai

I really love pad thai when it's done right, which isn't often in most Thai restaurants in America. I was thrilled to see that Nancy made a delicious pad thai in her class the other night and I was excited to make it at home. I made it for Chris for lunch on Saturday and he loved it. The recipe seems like a lot of work, but it's just a lot of ingredients to prep. Once you have all the ingredients ready to go, it takes a very short time to get it cooked.

Pad Thai recipe from Chef Nancy

8 oz rice noodles
3 Tbs. oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 oz, boneless pork, chicken or beef, cut into thin stripes
3-4 oz pressed or fried tofu, cut into thin stripes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. fish sauce
1 Tb. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs tamarind liquid (1 heaping Tb. tamarind pulp dissolved in 3 T water and strained. I used 1 1/2 teas. of tararind paste instead)
1 teas. paprika
1 teas. chile-garlic sauce
3 cups bean sprouts (divided)
3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 Tbs. dried shrimp, finely chopped
1/2 c. ground roasted peanuts
3 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
lime wedges for servings

Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain and set aside. Assemble all ingredients before beginning to cook. Heat a large skillet until hot, then add half of the oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry briefly, about 15 seconds. Toss in the meat and stir-fry until it has changed color. Add the tofu and cook 20-30 seconds. Pour in the eggs and cook until it sets aorund the meat and tofu slices, less than a minute. Break it up a little, then transfer to a plate and set aside. Combine fish sauce, soy, sugar, tamarind, papriks and chile sauce in a small bowl and set it by the stove. Heat remaining oil, add the noodles and stir fry until translucent. Add half the bean sprouts and the sallions, tossing until they wilt. Add the dried shrimp and then the fish sauce mixture and cook about 1 minutes. Add the reserved egg mixture and gently toss. Toss in the half of the peanuts.
Turn out onto a serving platter or plates. Sprinkle with remaining bean sprouts and peanuts, and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over. Serves 2-4.