Chinese Chile-Garlic Noodles & Greens

Here's a quick and easy dish that can be made all year, using whatever green vegetables are available. Various Chinese mustard greens would be very appropriate, but already it is cabbage and carrot time.

Rooster brand noodles are the ones I use and even my small stodgy local grocery store has them, so they should be readily available.

Make these as spicy (or not) as you like, although the bite of almost-raw garlic and chile is the point of this. It can be adjusted a bit, though. Some chopped peanuts scattered over the top would not go amiss, if you had them and wanted them.  

2 servings
30 minutes prep time

Cook the Noodles & Vegetables:
3 cups finely chopped greens
1 small carrot, grated
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
1 green onion, chopped fine
200 grams Chinese style wheat noodles (Rooster)

Set a pot of water large enough to hold the greens and the noodles - which will expand quite a lot - on to boil. Add a pinch of salt.

Wash and trim the greens, and chop them fairly finely. Peel and grate the carrot, and set them aside with the cabbage. Peel and mince the garlic. Wash, trim, and chop the green onion finely. Set those 2 items aside together.

When the water boils, add the greens and carrots, and the noodles as soon as the water comes back to a boil. Boil for 5 or 6 minutes until the noodles are tender. Drain very well and divide the noodles and vegetables between 2 large bowls. Meanwhile, everything else should be standing by, including the green onions and garlic...

Make the Sauce:
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Measure them out into a little bowl.

Standing By:
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot red chile flakes
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Measure the oil and chile flakes into a very small skillet. When the noodles have about 2 minutes more to cook, heat the oil until the chile flakes sizzle. You can add some portion of the minced garlic if you think it will be too strong if all of it is raw.

Sprinkle the chopped green onions and raw minced garlic evenly over the 2 bowls of noodles. Divide the sauce between the 2 bowls. Add the sesame oil to the hot oil and chile flakes, and divide it evenly over the 2 bowls of noodles. Give each bowl a little toss and stir at once.





Last year at this time I made Beef Stuffed Onions in Barbecue Sauce.

Posted in: Ontario Food