Zucchini Chard Noodles with Capers Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chipotle

A quick weeknight meal that incorporates what the home garden has to offer at this time:  Asian noodles tossed in with sauteed garden veggies and flavorful no-cook sauce, served at room temperature with a light drizzling of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnished with lemon zest.


Another tender home garden zucchini was ready to be picked.

Some lush home garden rainbow chard leaves were ready to be clipped and used as well.

A batch of home-garden cherry tomatoes were just about ripening.

Home garden Thai basil and Italian were both handy as well.

Plus some kale, bell peppers, onions, and garlic came together for this quick summer noodles with a fusion of flavors from MediterrAsian to Mexican.

No-cook Sauce: Thai basil, Italian basil, Capers, Sun-dried tomatoes, and chipotle in adobo sauce came together to make a thick fresh no-cook sauce. Simply combine the ingredients in a proportion that appeals to your taste, blend it to a smooth sauce-like paste, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar, some olive oil, and tamarind to taste.


Sauteed Veggies: Zucchini got spiralized, kale and chard got ribboned and they all got sauteed with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Shiso Pesto with Buckwheat Soba Noodles

Back in 2006 and 2007, I was thrilled about growing Shiso in my home garden as it was the early years of my home-gardening, and I liked having herbs handy in the backyard to try different recipes.

A decade later, looks like Shiso is quite readily available in the market when in season and has become a fairly popular and mainstream herb much like cilantro and mint.

A member of the mint family, Shiso leaves can be mostly green to greenish reddish/purplish. Much like my favorite pesto and chutney, I make shiso as pesto or chutney when the mood calls for it, using whatever ingredients I feel like throwing together at that time.

In this recipe, shiso pesto comes together with a confluence of complementary Asian flavors.

Tossed in with some buckwheat soba noodles, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, and a side of roasted eggplant and home-garden scallions, shiso certainly takes center stage in this dish.

Shiso pesto as a dip, served with roasted eggplant slices and bell peppers makes a fantastic appetizer.

Shiso Pesto:
½ Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp red miso
½ Tbsp mirin
½ Tbsp rice vinegar
½ Tbsp lime juice
¼ to ½ cup packed shiso leaves
2 to 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Grind the ingredients together and adjust to taste.

Citrus Fresh Buckwheat Soba Salad

The crisp freshness of lemon and lime are perfect for cold summer salads. This recipe is inspired by a Japanese friend of mine with whom I exchange cooking tips on and off, among other things.

Dashi is sold in most Asian stores - either made from kombu or different types of fish. Salty Dashi, with some sesame oil, plus the tartness from lime juice and lemon zest makes this salad quite addictive.

Get the dressing ready, mix in the salad vegetables and let it sit while the soba cooks. The recipe here makes enough starter salad for two, or a huge meal for one.

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
½ cup Seaweed Dashi or strong vegetable stock
½ tsp sesame oil
1 lime - freshly squeeze for lime juice
zest of one lemon
juice of ½ lemon, for additional tang

2 cups Salad Vegetables: For a quick meal, I use packaged kale salad mix plus scallions. Otherwise, whatever is handy -- radish, julienned carrots, sauteed cremini, slivered broccoli stems or other stems like I use for kinpira, ribboned greens, radicchio, purple cabbage...

Cook one bundle of the buckwheat soba per package directions, drain, and rinse in cold water, drain well. Toss in with the dressed vegetables, adjust the dressing as needed.

Served with some vegetable spring rolls and vegetable dumplings, this makes a filling weeknight meal.

Wide Rice Noodles with Pickled Beets, Radish, Carrots

Sometimes the simplest of flavors give the most satisfaction. Pickled vegetables is an easy yet flavorful way of adding interest to everyday noodles. For a warm summer evening, cool wide rice noodles with chilled pickled vegetables is a treat.

Cook the wide rice noodles per package direction, drain and rinse in cold water. Then toss with some sesame oil and pickled vegetables; and serve with some extra pickled veggies on the side.

Radish, Beets, Red onions, Green beans, Shallots, White Home Garden Pearl Onions are a few of the usual veggies I pickle at home.

1. Combine 1 cup of vinegar (white, cider, champagne, rice, any combination) with ½ cup of water, bring to a boil; optionally, add any pickling spices (whole black pepper, dry red chilies, cloves, coriander)
2. Slice or cut veggies into preferred size and place in a canning jar; sprinkle some salt, a bit of honey if preferred
3. Pour the boiling vinegar solution onto the veggies in the jar till veggies are fully immersed; cover and allow to cool. Refrigerate after cooling for upto a week.

Mushroom in Red Wine Sauce with Bean Thread Noodles

Some baby bella mushrooms with pearl onions came together in a rich-flavored simple sauce for this dish, served with mung bean thread noodles.

Cook bean thread per package directions, or serve with rice sticks, or just plain jasmine rice; or with quinoa, or even brown rice.

Ingredients
pearl onions, peeled
baby bella mushrooms, chopped if to big
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
water as needed

For garnish: cilantro and spring onions

For the sauce:
½ cup red wine (I used some Gato Negro Shiraz I had handy)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp oregano powder or 1 Tbsp crushed dried oregano (+/-)
½ tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp brown sugar or 1 Tbsp Agave nectar
1 Tbsp minced garlic

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms a bit, remove from pan, keep aside
2. In the same pan, add the tomato paste and garlic, sauté till tomato paste turns rich red and aromatic, add the spices, wine, and half to one cup of water, cover and allow to simmer and reduce a bit
3. Toss back in the mushrooms and pearl onions, simmer together to desired sauce consistency; add water as needed

Pan-Fried Noodle Pancake

I was cooking some rice noodles when the kiddo decided that he needed some cuddles badly and won't calm down otherwise. So, I attended to him right away like a dutiful mother, forgetting the noodles, which turned mushy and lumpy. I didn't want to waste it, and that's how this dish came about a few evenings ago.

Spread the overcooked noodles on a hot pan, with some canola oil or sesame oil on the pan; press down the noodles and allow them to form a thin flat layer on the pan. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes over medium heat till the bottom side is crisp and the noodles lift off the pan like a single unit pancake; flip and cook the other side the same way.

To Serve: Cut the crisp fried noodle pancake into wedges or squares, top with some stir-fry vegetables, or, serve with some simple egg curry, or with soy chunks curry, or any other favorite curry.

Garnish with roasted red peppers strips, spring onions, cilantro and maybe some toasted sesame seeds.

cellophane noodles in roasted red pepper sauce

I shied away from Cellophane noodles (mung bean threads) for a long time due to health concerns that surrounded it briefly... but, have started using it on and off over the last few months or so.

Any other thin noodles like rice noodles can be used instead, in this recipe.

The red pepper sauce just came together one evening and can be adjusted to taste. If nam prik pow and sambal oelek are not handy, dry red chilies, or even cayenne pepper powder, or favorite brand of red hot sauce can be substituted. It is just a form of hot and sweet sauce, with roasted bell peppers acting as the primary flavoring ingredient bringing in some sweetness, along with nutty peanut butter, and balanced by some form of hot sauce.

Ingredients:
1-2 bundles of dry cellophane or rice noodles

for the sauce:
2 medium red bell peppers, roasted
OR 1 jar of store-bought roasted red bell peppers, packed in water
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
2 Tbsp nam prik pow
1 Tbsp canola oil or sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)

salt to taste
water as needed

for garnish:
chopped spring onions
chopped cilantro
toasted sesame and poppy seeds

Preparation

cook cellophane noodles per package direction, drain, rinse, drain well, set aside

combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine fairly thick paste; if using canned roasted red peppers, drain the water before using

heat oil in a pan, add the tomato paste if using, and sauté it till deep red and aromatic; then add the red pepper paste and bring it to a gentle simmer, adding water to required sauce consistency; adjust flavors to taste

add the cellophane noodles, stir well

off heat, garnish with spring onions, cilantro, toasted sesame & poppy seeds; serve warm

Sweet and Sour Noodles

There are quite a few possible variations on the sweet-and-sour sauce that makes this dish interesting and different each time I make it. Sometimes a dash more of vinegar and orange juice, sometimes more brown sugar, sometimes a bit more of soy sauce...

Ingredients
1 pkt rice noodles
sugar snaps, sliced
bean sprouts
baby corn, sliced
broccoli florets
green and red chilies, sliced (remove membrane and seeds to reduce heat)
spring onions, chopped to 2" pieces
½ medium sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
½ pkt extra firm tofu, cubed
1 Tbsp oil
sweet and sour sauce:
1 cup vegetable broth
¼ cup plain white vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup kecap manis*
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar*
* if kecap manis is not handy, use 4 Tbsp of brown sugar instead of 2 Tbsp, adjust to taste
---------
1 Tbsp cornstarch
some water
---------
for garnish:
cilantro and chopped spring onions

Preparation

1. bring all the sauce ingredients to a gentle simmer and let it reduce and thicken a little; dissolve corn starch in some water and add it to thicken the sauce some more; adjust sauce to taste by balancing vinegar and sugar to suit your sweet and sour taste; set aside
2. marinate the tofu in some of the sauce while sautéing the vegetables and cooking the noodles
3. cook the noodles per package directions, drain, run under cold water, drain well, toss with some oil so they don't stick together; set aside
4. heat oil in a pan, add the onions, chilies, ginger and garlic, sauté till fragrant; add the vegetables and a little of the sauce, stir fry till crisp-tender
5. add the marinated tofu and stir fry some more
6. toss in the noodles and a little sauce at a time, stir well
7. off heat, garnish with cilantro and chopped spring onions, serve warm

soba with eggplant and tofu

Buckwheat soba, served warm or cold, is a meal we relish at home. Sometimes, it is Japanese style, served cold, with dipping sauce on the side; sometimes, it is warm/hot with thai-inspired flavoring sauce and veggies stirred in. This soba recipe is sort of in-between - served at about room temperature:-)

I love eggplant, and try to incorporate it many dishes I make.

As I am a bit sensitive to fish paste, shrimp paste, bonito flakes, kezuri-bushi and such, my asian recipes are not quite authentic. My miso soup barely has a touch of dashi-no-moto. But, I do enjoy a lot of the other non-sea-food-based asian flavors.

Ingredients
½ pkt extra firm tofu, diced (or pan-fried tofu, if handy)
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 bunch spring onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)
1-2 bundles soba noodles
1 Tbsp canola oil (or sesame oil)
flavoring:
1 tsp shichimi togarashi, if handy, or, sambal oelek, or just red pepper flakes
¼ cup mirin
½ cup shoyu, or light soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp sushi vinegar (or rice vinegar, if you like the pungency)

Preparation:

1. combine the flavoring ingredients, stir well, set aside
2. cook soba per package directions to al-dente, drain, run under cold water, drain well
   
3. in a shallow bowl, add the cooked soba and pour just enough of the flavoring sauce to coat it well; set aside
   
4. heat oil in a pan, add the diced tofu and some flavoring sauce and pan-fry the tofu turning often to brown all sides; remove from pan, set aside
5. in the same pan, add the eggplant and more flavoring sauce and cook the eggplant till done
   
6. with chopsticks or fork, gather some soba that has been soaking in the flavor sauce and make a bed of it on a serving plate
7. top with tofu and eggplant; garnish with spring onions; serve any remaining sauce on the side
   

Rice Noodles

Other than pasta, casseroles, soups, and rice, Asian-style noodles seem the easiest to throw together on weekdays when I don't have fermented adai or dosai or injera batter handy.

Not much to this recipe really. Feels like sharing a recipe for cooking rice :) Anyway, I like both the wide flat rice noodles a well as the thin string-like ones. The noodles can be stir-fried or just tossed in with the sautéed vegetables here.

Ingredients
1 pkt rice noodles (flat and broad, sort of like fettucini)

½ pkt extra firm tofu (or, pan-fried marinated tofu, if handy)
1 cup sugar snaps, sliced thin
2 cups bok choy leaves, cleaned, chiffonade (or roughly chopped)
1 medium onion, sliced fine
1 bell pepper, sliced
-OR- any other vegetable combination
water as needed
1 Tbsp canola oil (2-3 Tbsp, if pan frying the tofu)


For the flavoring:
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp thai chili-basil paste
1 Tbsp sambal oelek (or, 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh lemon grass (or, 1 tsp lemongrass powder)
1 tsp grated ginger (or, ½ tsp ginger powder)
1 tsp brown sugar

½ cup chopped spring onions for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine the flavoring ingredients, stir well and set aside
2. If using tofu, pan-fry it with some of the above flavoring sauce, remove from pan set aside
   
3. cook rice noodles per package directions, drain, rinse in cold water, drain well and set aside
4. Heat oil in a pan, sauté the onions, sugar snaps and bok choy till onions turn translucent
5. Add the cooked noodles, pan-fried tofu, and the remaining flavoring sauce a little at a time so as not to make the dish soggy, stir till well incorporated
6. Garnish with spring onions, serve warm

Quick and Simple Yakisoba

Jokes about the name notwithstanding ("Is it Yucky-Soba today, Mama?"), kids do manage to eat the yakisoba noodles no matter what combination of flavors I end up using (as long as I don't go overboard with the chilies).

Stir-fried noodles is usually a quick-to-cook dinner but can get boring over time. One way to change it up a bit is the combination of flavors, and the type of noodles. Buckwheat soba is a staple since all of us at home like it.

Yakisoba sauce here, while not quite earth-shattering, came about as an unusual combination of flavoring ingredients. Sometimes, add in some ketchup, sambal, even habañero mustard for a bit of a bite.




Ingredients
1 pkt buckwheat soba noodles
1 medium onion, sliced thin
plus any other veggies of your choice - cauliflower, carrots, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas
1 Tbsp hazelnut oil (or sesame oil, or mustard oil)

for the sauce:3 Tbsp light or citrus soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon habañero mustard (optional)

Preparation

1. cook the noodles per package directions, drain, set aside
2. combine the sauce ingredients; adjust the quantities to suit your taste; set aside
3. heat the oil in a pan, sautée the onions and other veggies
4. add the noodles and the sauce, stir gently till well coated; serve warm

Pad Thai

This is a dish I love, but, since i don't eat shrimp or oyster sauce or fish sauce or any of the 'traditional' ingredients, I had to sort of make up my own version of this dish, which turns out much to my liking usually:-)

I like the tanginess from the tamarind, but, experiment with this - start with a little of each ingredient - and blend the flavors till you find that the sauce is to your liking.



Ingredients
For Sauce
3-4 Tbsp tamarind concentrate (sold in most asian stores: plastic can with blue lid)
2 Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 tsp mirin (optional)
1-2 tsp brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp vegetarian soy sauce (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp red chili paste (add more or less, to taste)

For the noodles
1 pkg rice noodles (pad-thai-style noodles sold in asian grocery stores)
4-5 sliced green chilies
2 medium carrots julienned
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 medium onion sliced thin
2 inch piece of ginger, julienned
1/2 pkg extra firm tofu, cut to desired size cubes
10-12 petit green beans - optional (sold in frozen foods section, thaw before using)
1 egg (optional)
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, or pounded in mortar and pestle
2-3 Tbsp canola oil (or sesame oil)

Preparation

1. Mix all the ingredients for sauce, taste it and adjust as you like and set aside (i like it to have pronounced and identifiable tanginess, mild sweetness and adequate saltiness - adjust tamarind concentrate, brown sugar and soy sauce accordingly)
   
2. cook the pad thai noodles per package instructions; drain and set aside
   
3. heat oil in a pan or wok; add the tofu and sautee till browned
4. remove tofu from pan; then, add the ginger, green chilies and sautee for about 30-40 seconds, then add the onions and sautee till translucent
   
5. add the carrots and green beans to the pan and stir fry till slightly softened
6. add the napa cabbage and stir fry some more
7. if using the egg, push the veggies to the side in the pan, add the egg and scramble it in the pan
8. now add the drained noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, and the sauce a little at a time to avoid ending up with a soggy dish; stir till well incorporated
   
9. garnish with chopped peanuts, cilantro and sliced green chilies; serve warm with sambal oelek on the side (optional)
   

this usually makes enough for 2 people for dinner, plus leftovers for next day's breakfast :-)