A tasty salad, delicious served with Coconut & Green Curry Chicken Soup (recipe: MIL MISSION #5)
Prep/cooking time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 (one bowl dinner) 6 (side salad)
Serving option: serve hot, rather than room temp or cold
♥PANTRY, FRIDGE, MARKET♥♥
1# dried soba noodles (wheat & buckwheat noodles)
Dressing
1 large yellow or white onion
4 large garlic cloves
3 T. vegetable oil
2” piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 T. pure sesame oil
3 T. light or dark brown sugar
1 C. peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
3 C. water
3 T tamari or soy sauce
1 t. red pepper flakes or fresh chili
1 t. sea salt
1 t. black or white pepper
3 large limes, juiced
2 - 8 oz. cans sliced water chestnuts
1 bunch cilantro - reserve 3 T.
1 bunch green onion - reserve 3 T.
1/2 C. chopped peanuts - reserve 3 T.
Prep - food processor
Fine chop garlic and onion. Remove and set aside. Fine chop ginger.
Heat vegetable oil in medium skillet. Add garlic and onion. Saute over medium heat until veg begins to brown. Add ginger, sugar and sesame oil, stirring for 3-5 minutes. Add peanut butter, water, tamari, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
By hand: fine dice cilantro and mince green onions
Food processor: coarse chop peanuts
Serving
In a large bowl, pour dressing over noodles. Add cilantro, water chestnuts, green onions and peanuts, “lifting” gently to incorporate evenly. Garnish with reserved cilantro, green onion and peanuts.
♥♥WAYS TO “just wing it”.♥♥ consider substituting or adding
Almond butter and sliced or coarse chopped toasted almonds
Add sauteed tofu, shrimp or chicken
Udon noodles (thicker whole wheat noodles)
♥ Helpful Hint♥
Keep thin latex/rubber cooking gloves in your kitchen - use your hands to “lift” noodles
Salad even more delicious made hours or day ahead (garnish when serving)
(posted by MIL)
A ’one bowl’ dinner favorite as is, but consider dropping in baby spinach leaves and serving over basmati brown rice for a heartier supper.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
♥PANTRY, FRIDGE, MARKET♥♥
2# boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 T vegetable oil
1 large yellow or white onion, medium dice
3 large russet potatoes, peeled, medium dice
1 T finely chopped garlic
1/2# white or brown mushrooms, sliced
1 T finely chopped ginger
2 T green curry paste
2 quart chicken stock
2 T light fish sauce
6 Kaffir lime leaves or 1. T lime juice
1 ou. dried (or) 1/2# fresh Shitake mushrooms
2 14 ounce cans coconut milk
1 1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 C chopped Thai basil
*shopping list/Asian market - light fish sauce, green curry paste, citrus leaves, dried Shitake mushrooms, coconut milk, Thai basil
♥♥MIL DIRECTIONS.♥♥
Prep
Cut chicken into 1” pieces. Heat oil in skillet and saute chicken in batches, searing quickly, but not cooking through. Remove and set aside.
In a medium size skillet, saute onion, potatoes, garlic, all mushrooms and ginger until potatoes until onion are soft and potatoes partially cooked. Stir in green curry paste.
Spoon into a 6 qt pot. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Add fish sauce, citrus leaves, coconut milk and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes.
Serving
Minutes before serving, add chicken & bring to a simmer, cooking for 5-10 minutes, just until chicken is cooked through. Add Thai basil.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
♥♥WAYS TO “just wing it”.♥♥ consider substituting
Extra firm tofu, shrimp, scallops or fish, such as halibut
Any variety of fresh basil
An assortment of flavorful mushrooms
Red or yellow curry paste
♥ Helpful Hints♥
Soup base can be made 1-2 days in advance; add chicken when serving
Freeze extra curry leaves; color will change, but quality will be fine