Cook a Dinner for The Year of the Rat: Noodles with Mushrooms and Baby Greens
Thursday is Chinese New Year and I thought I would give you a couple of recipes for making your own little Chinese banquet.
Food symbolism is important for the Chinese New Year and noodles suggest a long life. Today we have a noodle recipe and tomorrow I will give you a bean curd recipe.
The Shiitakes give the dish a nice, earthy flavor, but you can make this with any kind of mushrooms you like. If you can't find baby bok choy, just use a big one and cut it up.
Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms and Baby Greens Recipe
Serves 2
- 20 small dried Shiitake mushrooms or 10 large fresh cleaned and sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock if you are using fresh mushrooms
- 10 baby bok choy
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- Light soy sauce to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp potato flour or cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp cold water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3-4 tsp peanut oil for cooking
- dried Chinese noodles
1. If using dried mushrooms soak them in hot water for 30 minutes or until soft.
2. Trim the bok choy. Heat the wok over high heat add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and swirl around. Add the bok choy and stir-fry briskly until barely cooked; set aside.
3. Strain mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Squeeze mushrooms dry and slice if they are large pieces.
4. Return the wok to the heat with a little extra oil. Add the ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until they smell wonderful.
Then, add the reserved mushroom liquid or stock. Bring to a boil and season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add the bok choy and mix well. Stir in just enough of the potato or cornstarch mixture to thicken it.
5. Meanwhile. heat water until boiling. Cook enough noodles for 2 following the instructions on the package. Drain noodles.
6. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and then divide between 2 prepared bowls of soup noodles.
From Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop
