Chicken and Lemongrass Noodle Stir Fry

This is modified from Fine Cooking. You can sub the chicken for pork or chicken breasts, or anything really...

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 stalks lemongrass - soft bits from the inside minced (shuck the tough, outer layers)
3 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp lime juice
1 lb ground chicken, turkey, or pork or any kind of meat
1 package of vermicelli rice noodles
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp sugar
Handful of chopped kale or spinach
3 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Sambal oelek or Sriracha to taste

1 In a small bowl, combine soy, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and lime.

2. In a medium bowl. combine ground meat with half of the soy mixture and let sit for at least 10 min.

3. Prepare noodles according to package. Drain and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl with 1 tbsp oil.

4. In a large skillet or wok, heat remaining oil over high heat. Add remaining soy mixture and fry until fragrant. Add meat and fry, breaking into small pieces until browned. Add stock and sugar. Stir in kale/greens and cook until wilted.

5. Transfer to noodle bowl, add herbs and mix well.

Thai Drunken Noodles

We have a Thai restaurant across the street from our house and I think their kitchen vent is aimed directly at our balcony. We sit out there on summer evenings and smell the most delicious, enticing yumness. It makes me want to have Thai every night for dinner (is this why 80% of my posts are Thai??). This is one of my favorite Thai dishes and I almost always order it when we get Thai out, which actually isn't that often - especially since I can make this at home.Anyway, I have a lot of Thai favorites but this one I like if we order out. This is modified from Cooks Illustrated, i's extremely flavorful and will taste just like take-out...although you know what's in it! Gotta warn you, not the healthiest but definitely worth it once and a while...

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp baking soda
8 oz rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 large eggs
10 oz broccolini, cut into 1 inch pieces
Handful chopped fresh basil

1. Combine chicken and baking soda with 2 tbsp water and let sit at room temp for about 15 minutes. Rinse in cold water and drain well.

2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and pour over noodles in a large bowl. Stir, then soak until noodles are almost tender (about 8 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with 2 tsp of oil.

3.Whisk oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, molasses, and fish sauce in a bowl.

4. Heat 2 tsp oil and garlic in a large skilled over high heat, stirring occasionally until garlic is golden brown.

5. Add chicken, 2 tbsp sauce mixture and spread in an even layer. Flip once so that both sides are browned.

6. Push chicken to one side. Add 2 tsp of oil and add eggs. Stir gently to scramble and break up large pieces. Stir together with chicken and put in a bowl.

7. Heat 2 tsp oil to now empty skillet until very hot - almost smoking. Add broccolini and 2 tbsp of sauce and toss to coat. Cover and cook until browned and crisp. Transfer to bowl with chicken and eggs.

8. Heat 2 tsp oil in pan and add half of the noodles and 2 tbsp of sauce and toss to coat. Cook until noodles start to brown in spots, stirring halfway through cooking. Remove and add to the other ingredients and repeat with the rest of the noodles, adding the rest of the sauce.

9. When noodles are done, add the contents of the bowl (noodles, broccolini, chicken, eggs) and stir together. Add the basil and stir together.

Singapore (Curry) Noodles

Paddy gave me a noodle cookbook for my bday (perhaps more of a present to himself than vice versa?!) so it's been noodles all the time... Be prepared to see oodles more noodles in the next few months as I make my way through the book. This one I love - incredibly easy and very tasty! I prefer to use very thin egg noodles but you're supposed to use rice noodles. It's up to you...

8oz thin egg noodles, rice vermicelli, or angel hair pasta (only if you have to!)
1/2 lb shrimp, or cubed or shredded chicken or pork
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion cut into thin wedges or rough chunks
1/2 cup peas
Handful of snow peas if you've got 'em, mushrooms also nice to add
2 tsp curry powder (or more depending on taste)
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup cilantro
Salt & pepper

1. Boil a pot of water and cook the noodles until tender but firm. Once done, take them out and rinse in cold water.

2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and cook the shrimp, chicken or pork.

3. When done, remove and set aside.

4. In same pan, add onion. Once tender, add the peas and any other vegetable you decide to use.

5. Add the noodles and the curry powder. Toss well until all noodles are yellow (you may decide to add more curry - I like mine fairly potent!). Add the shrimp/chicken/pork and stir with the noodles (tongs are handy for this).

6. Season with salt and pepper and serve once the noodles are nice and hot.

Grilled Noodle Bowls

Paddy and I went to lunch at this great Vietnamese restaurant in Harvard Square not too long ago. We had fresh spring rolls that had small pieces of BBQed pork and they were delicious. We also had two very large bowls of Pho, which I think is one of the most comforting soups there is. It has lots and lots of noodles. I usually order it with chicken. But when I recreated it at home a couple of weeks ago, I grilled a pork tenderloin and used that in the soup instead. It was unreal. The great thing about this soup is that you can add lots of fresh ingredients, and make it really spicy. You can make it with chicken, shrimp, pork, or no meat. If you use chicken, small pieces pulled from a roast chicken work best (good use of leftovers), if you use shrimp pop them right into the soup at the end and let them cook in the broth. If you use pork, this really is worth it...you can use the other half of the tenderloin a couple days later in something else.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp rice vinegar
~ 1 - 1.5 lb pork tenderloin
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 qts chicken broth
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup bok choy, sliced into 1/4 pieces (1 medium with greens included)
1/4 onion sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 handful of thin, round chinese egg noodles (you can also use angel hair pasta...if you have to!)
* eye the amount according to how much broth you have and the noodle ratio that you prefer
1 cup bean sprouts
1 large bunch of basil, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chili paste - at least

1. In a small bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients and mix well to dissolve the brown sugar a bit.

2. Place the tenderloin in a large plastic bag an pour in the marinade. Marinate the meat for 15-20 minutes.

3. Grill the tenderloin for 8 minutes, flip it and do the other side for another 8 minutes. When it's finished, take it off the grill and let it sit.

4. Heat the oil on medium or a little under in a large pot. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger and let their flavors infuse into the oil - you don't want them to burn.

5. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

6. Turn the heat down to medium high and add the mushrooms, bok choy, and onion and let simmer for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms start to get tender.

7. Add the noodles straight to the soup. Bring the broth back to a simmer so that the noodles cook in the broth.

8. Cut the tenderloin in half (you won't need all of it). It may be very slightly pink in the middle, that's ok, it will finish cooking in the soup. Cut the meat so that you have 1/4 x 3 inch strips.

9. When the noodles are soft, add the meat to the soup and turn the heat down to medium.

10. Just before serving, add the beansprouts and basil (the more basil the better). Serve with chili paste on the side - again, the more the better!