Friday 20 July 2007

Ginger & Sesame Braised Noodles

I love stir-fried or braised noodles. The contrast in textures of the different ingredients in it, the colours. It's also so versatile and never boring. My stir-fried noodles never taste exactly the same because I don't ususally measure how much of each sauce or seasoning I splashed on the noodles.

So this is a disclaimer for this recipe because I think you should adjust the seasoning according to your preference. I've chosen to post this particular recipe because I wanted to highlight the use of toasted nuts, specifically sesame seeds in stir-fries. The addition of toasted sesame seeds makes stir-fries extra yummy because it adds another layer of flavour and texture. Toasting the sesame seeds enhances the slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Try lighty toasting some sesame seeds and tossing them into your usual stir-fried noodles and you'll get a slightly different flavour. I also use roughly chopped roasted cashews and peanuts in stir-fries, but sesame seeds is my current favourite.

This noodle recipe uses the "braising" technique rather than frying with oil, so it is a good way to cook noodles in a low-fat way.

This will be my submission to Presto Pasta Night, hosted by Ruth.

Ginger & Sesame Braised Noodles
Serves 2

350g fresh, flate egg noodles
150-200g raw chicken breast fillets, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 carrot, julienned (cut into thick match-sticks)
1/2 - 1 cup water or stock
sliced vegetables of your choice, e.g. chinese broccoli (gai larn), snow peas (mange toute), red capsicum (pepper)
3 tbsp grated fresh YOUNG ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
fresh lime juice
2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

(vegetarian option: replace chicken with glazed firm tofu)


1
Marinate the chicken with half of the minced garlic and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Prepare the other ingredients.

2
Heat the oil in a non-stick wok, add the chicken in batches and stir-fry over high heat until golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Set aside.

3
In the same wok, bring about 1/2 cup of water/stock to boil together with the carrots, onion, ginger, sauces and remaining garlic. Lower the heat and simmer till the onions and carrots are tender. You may need to add more liquid.

4
Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions, keep warm.

5
Add the prepared noodles, chicken and vegetables into the wok and toss all the ingredients around gently so that the ingredients will be evenly coated by the braised sauce. Squeeze some lime juice over the noodles and adjust seasoning accordingly (you may need to add more soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce).

6
Toss the toasted sesame seeds and coriander into the wok, give the noodles a quick stir and serve immediately.

23 comments:

Anh said...

Noodles! I can eat a lot of them and never get tired. I actually cook noodles a lot. but always too lazy to blog about them. Yours look very lovely - I like the crunchiness of the sesame.

Unknown said...

I love adding toasted sesame to anything stir-fried. These noodles look terrific! I had been on a noodle kick, and had to take a rest for a while. I'm bookmarking this recipe for when I get back to them.

Eva said...

I really like stuff like that - but I have no idea about "asian" cuisine (you see, I can't even identify from which country it is...) Maybe you could give me a recommendation on how to stock my pantry with essential ingredients before I start cooking like that?

Ruth Daniels said...

I love stir fried noodle dishes. Thanks so much for sharing this one with Presto Pasta Nights.

Katie Zeller said...

I like this... a lot!
Made with fresh egg noodles sounds wonderful! I've braised spaghetti (lo mein) but never thought about egg noodles. They'd hold the sauce much better... We like more sauce :-) And nuts!

Warda said...

That's my kind of dish. You are right about toasting the sesame seeds, it gives so much flovor to the final dish. I only use soy sauce for this kind of cooking. I am too afraid to be hooked to other sauces as I am now to the combination of soy sauce and fresh ginger.
Have a great weekend Nora

Wendy said...

Adore noodles. Good idea about the disclaimer! Even when I try to follow a noodle recipe I always end up adding extra ingredients or more of something!

chemcookit said...

Wow, Nora, your last recipes are amazing!!! Thanks for sharing them. :) I love noodles too - argh, I'm getting hungry again!

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I could eat noodles every day! I'm trying to get more ginger into my life, too, so will bookmark this recipe.

Nora B. said...

Anh, I usually am too lazy to blog about fried noodles and rice but my friend wanted this recipe, so I thought why not blog about it. I would love to see some of your stir-fried noodle recipes, maybe with a vietnamese twist?

Toni, I am hooked on sesame at the moment, including tahini.

Eva, you'll have to come to a stir-fried cooking class at my place soon ;-) I found that I can get away with just having these sauces: regular or light soy sauce, Chinese oysyter or mushroom sauce, sesame oil, Thai fish sauce, sweet soy sauce. Chinese cooking wine is also a good thing to have, but I don't use it.

Ruth, I'm glad that i was able to contribute something this week.

Katie, I'm nuts about nuts too! :-)

Rose, soy sauce and ginger is a terrific combination. I never get bored of it. Have a good weekend too!

Wendy, me too. With stir-fries, I always take the recipes as a guide.

Lydia, I never get tired of noodles. Using fresh young ginger (older ginger can taste bitter) in cooking is really addictive.

Anonymous said...

It looks and sounds yummmmmmmo!I've never done noodles like this, but I sure like to eat them. LOL. Thanks for sharing this. Delicious! Also, thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the "carpet". You sound like someone who loves the outdoors as much as you love food! That's great. Have a wonderful week-end. :-)

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

I love noodles like this. Yours looks and sounds delicious! I like the disclaimer. I made a noodle dish a while back and even put peanut butter in the sauce it was delicious but I'd added so much I wouldn't have a clue how to replicate it.

Truffle said...

This sounds like the most wonderful array of flavours. I could eat bowlfuls of this!

Anonymous said...

MmMmmMM!
that looks yummy!

Bacini

Anonymous said...

I seldom braise my noodles. I shall try it next time. Love the flavor of sesame in the noodles.

Stella said...

Hmm ginger in noodles? That sounds tempting & a boost to my body system as well!
love love love your dish!

Meghan said...

looks fantastic!

WokandSpoon said...

I'm a noodle freak and stir-fry noodles any chance I get! I tend to stick to the high fat stir-frying though i should probably try braising!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I share your affinity for toasted nuts, especially peanuts--can't get enough of 'em! A big bowl of chewy wide noodles with crunchy veggies and toasty sesame seeds is pure comfort and deliciousness.

Nora B. said...

Carolyn, fortunately, my love for the outdoors is much bigger than my love of food. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble! ;-)

Amanda, peanut butter is a great idea. An easy addition that gives the dish a different flavour.

Truffle, I ate half of it and saved half for lunch the next day and suprisingly, it didn't get too soggy and the flavours were terrific.

Arantxa - Thanks, it was yummy.

Tigerfish - Braising is such an easy technique and it has a lovely flavour, esp. if you like a bit of moisture in your noodle dish.

Valentina - I use ginger a lot in my Asian stir-fries. And recently, I learnt to put some ginger in pumpkin soup and it was yummy!

Wok & Spoon - I have no problems eating stir-fried noodles at restaurants but I just can't bear to use that much oil in my own cooking. So braising noodles is the next best thing for me.

Susan, you are making me want to cook these noodles again. This time with some crushed peanuts!

Paola Westbeek said...

Yum yum! That sounds absolutely delicious! I will try the tofu version! Thanks for sharing that recipe!

paola

Helene said...

Great dish Nora! I love the flavors of this one, will have to do it soon!

test it comm said...

This sounds really good. Ginger, sesame, coriander, lime chicken... So many great flavours.