Before this dish, I hadn't done any East Asian inspired recipes, and I was seriously craving a great bowl of noodles. Sometimes these local restaurants just don't hit the spot.
I had to get creative with this recipe since rice wine/mirin was not readily available nearby. I talked to the guy at a local wines & spirits store - I swear he knows EVERYTHING - and we found a way to use sake and just add sugar to act as rice wine.
It worked, because this recipe was delicious -- and nutritious!
Ingredients
Sauce:
2/3 cup sake
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup good soy sauce (get something with reduced sodium if needed)
2 tbsps. hoisin sauce
1 1/2 inches ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes, crushed
3 scallions, chopped
Vegetables & noodles:
Wholesome angel hair pasta or rice noodles1 green pepper, chopped once width wise and thinly sliced
3 carrots, julienned
1/2 cabbage, chopped
How I did it
In a small saucepan, heat up sake, sugar, and soy sauce on medium flame. After a couple of minutes, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and red chili pepper flakes. Stir occasionally, let it come to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Whisk in hoisin sauce. Let it thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
Heat three tbsps. olive oil over medium-high fire with a pinch of black pepper. Cook green pepper for 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep covered, and remove the water from lid of the pan each time the lid is lifted off (keeps them crisp! a tip from Mom). Add carrots, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cabbage, cook for 4-5 minutes (or however long it takes to soften), stirring occasionally. Add about 3/4 of the sauce, stir, then add noodles and scallions. Heat for about 2-3 minutes and stir well. Keep the remainder of the sauce on the side - it will thicken as it cools, and people can add more to their noodles if they want it.
I enjoyed it with a Sake Screwdriver since we had Sake leftover, and my family: great company. Tell me what you think in the comments below - and also your experience if you tried the recipe!
[Update: I gave the noodles a *light* drizzle of ketchup the next time I ate it...it was so yummy!]
