Chiang Mai Curry Noodles with Chicken

Our three year old sous-chef.



...and the kitchen apprentice who was born with a wooden spoon in his mouth.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Tonight was an unplanned noodle night. That's not an unusual occurrence when my family gathers, but having to alter at least one of the recipes to please the tastes of a three year old is something I haven't done in a very long time. I was given very specific instructions. He wanted fat noodles with chicken and yellow gravy and he agreed to be my official taster. We added and subtracted things from a Thai recipe called kao soi and came up with a curry noodle dish that he actually enjoyed. Half the fun, of course, was slurping slippery noodles, but he ate some chicken and had a few vegetables and shared his dish with others at the table. What I hadn't counted on was that those who are no longer three would also enjoy it. Who knew? While the noodles only resemble a dish in the Thai or Asian cooking repertoire they are a wonderful introduction to the food of the region. The rice noodles and vegetables I added to the recipe are atypical, but crispy noodle nests always top the dish when it is served in Thailand. I make my mine by reserving a small portion of cooked egg noodles and deep frying them. This is extremely easy to make and all the ingredients can be found in a good sized supermarket. I've cut way back on the curry paste and powder that give this recipe its heat. I'm including the authentic amounts in parenthesis for those of you who want to sample the real deal. This is a great family recipe and I hope that those of you with adventurous souls will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Chiang Mai Curry Noodles with Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons red curry paste (2 tablespoons)
1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into chunks
1 large carrot, cut into fine julienne strips
1 small red pepper, cut into fine julienne strips
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 (14-oz.) can coconut milk
1-3/4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (2teaspoons turmeric or curry Powder)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
.
1/2 pound dried Chinese-style egg noodles or wide rice noodles
1/3 cup coarsely chopped shallots
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion

Directions:
1) In a medium sauce pan set over medium heat, warm the oil until it begins to ripple, and then add garlic. Cook for about a minute and add red curry paste, stirring it to soften it, about a minute. Add chicken and cook for about a minute, tossing to combine it with the curry paste. Remove chicken from pan and add carrot, red pepper and onions. Stir over medium-high heat until softened. Return chicken to pan. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, turmeric, soy sauce, and sugar, and stir well. Bring to a slow boil, and lower heat to bring it down to a simmer. Cook for about 8 minutes, until flavors have begun to meld. Stir in the lime juice, remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.
2) Cook the noodles per package instructions. Drain, rinse in a colander under cold water, drain again, and divide noodles among serving bowls. Ladle on hot curry, and sprinkle each serving with shallots, cilantro, and green onions. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Rebecca's Asian Noodles - Chow and Chatter
15 Minute Asian Noodles - Steamy Kitchen
Mie Goreng - RasaMalaysia
Pad Thai - Joy's Thai Food
Garlic Butter Noodles - White on Rice Couple
Mee Goreng - The Perfect Pantry

Gingered Noodle Salad

Zach and Drew at Delta Ponds



The Silver Fox

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We've had a wonderful day. Our final destination was a place called Delta Ponds, which is a habitat that's been created adjacent to a stretch of the Willamette River here in town. The ponds are teeming with life at this time of year. So are our grandsons. They needed to burn a little excess energy, so we hiked about five miles of the river trail to get there. They were good, though tired, sports when they realized we could have driven to the ponds directly and they had been tricked. They'll sleep well tonight. So will I. Tucked into the picnic hamper were the remains of the noodle salad I talked about earlier in the week and promised to share with you today. This is very easy to make and uses ingredients that can be found in any major supermarket. If you are unable to find seasoned rice wine vinegar, combine three parts rice wine or cider vinegar with one part of sugar and a big pinch of salt and you'll be fine. If you are unable to find a mango, substitute thin slices of fresh pineapple. The pineapple is not traditional, but it's PDG and works well in this salad. The salad can be held for a day or two before it becomes unappetizing. It works really well as a base for the Chicken Rissoles we featured yesterday. As you skim through the ingredient list, you see that this gorgeous salad is low in fat and calories, as well as being delicious. It is, however, a bit more sour than most salads of this type. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Paired with a small portion of meat or poultry it makes for a wonderful light summer meal. Here's the recipe.

Gingered Noodle Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
Vinaigrette
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño chile, including seeds, or to taste
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Noodles
8 ounces bean thread (cellophane) noodles
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced diagonally
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (1 cup)
1 firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
2 thin carrots, very thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1) To make vinaigrette: Blend all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2) To make noodles: Soak noodles in cold water in a bowl until pliable, about 15 minutes, then drain in a colander. Cut noodles in half with scissors. Cook noodles in a 4-quart pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain noodles again well, then spread out on paper towels and blot excess liquid.
3) To assemble salad: Toss noodles with dressing in a bowl. Add cucumber, scallions, mango, and carrots and gently toss until just combined. Serve topped with cilantro sprigs. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Long Life Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers - One Perfect Bite
Thai Sweet Chili Noodles - One Perfect Bite
Garlic and Cashew Noodle Salad - Bitchin' Camero
Asian Noodle Salad - Gourmet Traveller
Sesame Soba Noodle Salad - Herbivoracious
Ramen Noodle Salad - Chaos in the Kitchen
Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Rice Noodle Salad - The Wednesday Chef
Moosewood's Soba Noodle Salad - Table and Spoon

Shrimp N' Noodle Bowls

Preparing greens for shrimp and noodles in an outdoor cooking school in Thailand.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Shrimp N' Noodles is one of those recipes you reach for when the clock's run out and stomachs are demanding to be feed. It's a prize winner, though on a much smaller scale than the other recipes we've looked at this week. The challenge from Taste of Home's, Healthy Cooking magazine, was to create a dish with a handful of ingredients and have it on the table in 30 minutes or less. We did it. It didn't change the world or make us wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice but I had bragging rights for a day or so. This is a dish that is assembled rather than made. If you decide to use precooked shrimp, the only "cooking" involves boiling water for noodles. This is a really simple dish, but I think you'll enjoy it. It received some very nice reviews. Here's the recipe.

Shrimp N' Noodle Bowls...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite.

Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta (chuka soba noodles are an excellent substitute)
1 pound cooked small shrimp
1 bag broccoli coleslaw mix
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup reduced-fat sesame ginger salad dressing

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
2) Add the shrimp, coleslaw mix, onions and cilantro. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.


This recipe is being linked to Outdoor Wednesday, an event sponsored by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

Long-Life Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers

Chinese New Year - Spring Festival - is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The year 4707 - the year of the ox - begins on the 26th of January. Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in ox years tend to be painters, engineers, and architects. They are stable, fearless, obstinate, hard-working and friendly. I'll bet they also love to eat. Food is an important part of the New Year celebration and certain foods are included for their symbolic value; noodles are served for longevity, oranges for wealth and prosperity and a whole fish for abundance and togetherness. Today's recipe is for long-life noodles that are like those made by vendors who sell their wares from pots that hang from shoulder poles. They are served at the very beginning or at the very end of the meal. Be aware that bad luck or a shortened life is the fate of those who cut them into more manageable lengths. We wish all who speak Cantonese, Gōngxǐ fācái and those who who speak Mandarin, Xīnnián kuàilè. Happy New Year to all.

Long-Life Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients:
2 julienned English cucumbers
1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
1/2 package (about 8-oz.) Chinese noodles or long spaghetti
1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped (not minced) ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
12 to 16-ounces ground pork or turkey dark meat
Cilantro and scallions for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1) Place cucumbers, red onion, rice vinegar, sugar red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Toss. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill.
2) Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender to the bite. Drain. Keep warm.
3) Combine sherry, broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
4) Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add bell pepper, ginger and garlic and stir-fry over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork and cook until it begins to brown. Turn and cook for 3 minutes longer. Stir in reserved sauce using a fork to break up chunks of pork. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Arrange noodles on a platter. Spoon meat sauce over noodles. Garnish with cilantro and chopped scallions if desired. Serve each portion with a serving of pickled cucumbers. Yield: 4 Servings.

I'm sending this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights which is hosted this week by Haalo at Cook (Almost) Anything.

Thai Rice Noodle Bowls

Is it soup yet? Not as we know it, but this soupy noodle bowl, or a variation of it, can be found in cafes and on street corners throughout Asia. This is the ultimate DIY meal. Pick a noodle, some protein and a vegetable and you have a meal in minutes. I use wide rice noodles here; they're paired with leftover chicken in a broth flavored with Thai fish sauce. I do fuss a little and make my own crisp fried garlic . It's available in some grocery stores but what you buy is no match for what can be made at home. Make no mistake about it - this dish is about noodles that happen to find themselves floating in a little broth. It's really not a soup. If you're still trying to overcome holiday indulgences this light but filling noodle bowl will really hit the spot.

Thai Rice Noodle Bowl

Ingredients:
1/2 pound wide dried rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 heaping tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, shrimp or pork
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
3 scallions (white and tender green), thinly sliced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) Bring three quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Remove from heat. Add dried rice noodles and let sit until tender enough to eat, about 10 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.
2) Heat oil in a small skillet until it shimmers. Add garlic and cook until it is golden brown. Pour oil and garlic into a small heatproof bowl. Set aside.
3) Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add chicken, pepper flakes if using, fish sauce and black pepper; simmer until meat is heated through, about 2 minutes.
4) Divide noodles among 4 soup bowls. Top each serving with reserved garlic and oil mixture. Ladle broth and chicken over noodles; sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Yield: 4 servings.

Adapted from a recipe by Nancie McDermott

I sending this recipe on to Presto Pasta Night sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. This week's event is hosted by Ivy at Kopiaste.

Quick Fix Chicken Paprikash

My refrigerator is packed to the rafters with leftovers. It's time for a salvage operation and until it's over no morsel is safe from the deft hands and sharp eyes of a woman on a mission. Once in, I found the remains of a chicken and peppers from a vegetable platter - in my world those are the components for a quick and easy Hungarian meal that is drop dead delicious and on the table in 30 minutes. This is an amazing recipe. When you read it there seems to be nothing to commend it, but once you try it you'll be hooked. I've called this Chicken Paprikash because it's made with sour cream and sour cream is what separates paprikash from it's cousin goulash. For best flavor you'll need both Hungarian sweet and hot paprika. You can, of course, cut back on the amount of butter and the type of sour cream you use in the dish, but there are so few ingredients it's beat to stick to the recipe as it's written. One other caution - don't let this sit around. The noodles will begin to soak up the sauce and the dish will be dry. I really hope you'll try this one. It's really tasty for something so easy to do. I make this a couple of times a year.


Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 can (10.5-oz.) condensed chicken broth, undiluted
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 to 3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:
1) Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add onion and saute until tender and lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper and cook until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in sweet paprika, hot paprika and salt. Stir flour into sour cream and whisk into sauce until smooth; bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
2) Fold in chicken and noodles. Cook, stirring, over medium heat to warm chicken and noodles, about 3 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

I'm sending this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

This recipe is adapted from one developed by Linda Faus for FOODday at OregonLive.

Thai Rice Noodles with Beef and Spinach

I love the delicious flavors of Thai cuisine, but I need dishes that can be quickly executed and don't require special equipment or ingredients that take weeks to assemble. This dish meets all my requirements and is a nice break from the heavy, rich food that can be overwhelming at this time of year. If you can't find bahn pho (rice noodles), boxed rice sticks, the ones used to make pad thai, can be substituted if you follow the manufacturers instructions to soften them. This is everyday street food in Thailand. As you look at the recipe you'll see that it has no chili heat. It is, however, beautiful to look at and has a nice balance between sweet and salty. If you'd like more heat you can quickly make prik nahm som, a Thai condiment that is passed with the noodles; simply chop a small hot green chili and mix it with 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons white vinegar. These noodles are sure to take you to a happy place. Enjoy!

Thai Rice Noodles with Beef and Spinach

Ingredients:
8 ounces wide rice stick noodles (bahn pho, L or XL)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamari or dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 pound thinly sliced boneless beef strips (i.e tri-tip, flank or rib eye)
5 large handfuls fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup water
2 lightly beaten eggs

Directions:
1) Cover rice noodles with boiling water. Let sit 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse well in cold water. Set aside.
2) Combine fish sauce, tamari, molasses, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large, high-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and toss to coat with oil. Add spinach and cook, tossing frequently, until beef is cooked and spinach is a bright, shiny green, about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beef and spinach to a serving platter.
4) Add noodles to pan, tossing to cook until noodles have softened, about2 minutes. Use splashes of water to keep noodles moist and prevent sticking. Push noodles to one side of pan.
5) Add reserved 1 tablespoon oil. Pour eggs into cleared half of pan. When almost set, toss to scramble and combine with noodles.
6) Return beef and spinach to pan. Stir in sauce mixture. Toss mixture until noodles are colored and ingredients are combined, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to serving platter. Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

This recipe is adapted from one created by Nancie McDermott.

It is being sent to C at Foodie Tots who is hosting Pasta Presto Nights # 94, a blogging event created by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.

Shanghai Noodles

This dish is best made with a thick chewy noodle and finished with a generous sprinkling of white pepper. You can watch your noodles being made in the restaurants and kiosks of Shanghai - it's considered entertainment. Shanghai, an old city systematically leveled and then rebuilt to look old again, was especially welcoming to us this past May. We were in China during the May earthquake - let me quickly add that we were never in any danger and inconvenience was the only consequence we had to deal with. When the quake began we were on a train about 140 miles from the epicenter in Chengdu and, while we felt the tremor, we thought a bad patch of track had caused the violent shaking and brought the train to a stop. It wasn't until the army and local militia swarmed onto the rail beds that we had any idea that something was seriously wrong. We sat on the train for about six hours while they checked the tracks before allowing us to proceed to Xi'an. We continued our adventure but the almost European sophistication of Shanghai, the luxury of a bubble bath and a bowl of these steaming noodles was truly welcome when finally got there. These noodles are found everywhere in Shanghai. They have a warm, stick to your ribs quality that make them as comforting as Mom's chicken soup. They lack the heat of pepper and chile found in so many Chinese noodle dishes; the flavor comes, instead, from a perfect blend of oyster and soy sauce that binds tender pork and cabbage into an amalgam that warms the stomach and the heart. Chinese chefs have a unique way of cooking noodles. Water is brought to a boil, noodles are added, then cold water is added and the mixture is brought to a boil again. The procedure is repeated until the noodles are barely tender. The whole procedure takes about 3 minutes when using freshly prepared noodles. I'm not sure it improves the noodles but it's sure interesting to watch. I really shouldn't say that - anyone who has ever worked with fresh noodles knows how quickly they become paste; the addition of the cold water prevents that from happening. This is a great recipe - I hesitate to add that there as many recipes for Shanghai noodles as there are for Mom's chicken soup, so my rendering is just one of many in the pot. It's not expensive and it's easy to do.

Shanghai Noodles - Shanghai Mian
Ingredients:
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
12 ounces pork tenderloin, thinly sliced in strips
1 pound fresh Chinese style noodles or 1/2 pound dry pasta
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces then julienned
3 cups sliced Napa cabbage, white and green kept separate
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
White pepper to taste

Directions:
1) In a 1-quart bowl combine tamari, oyster sauce, sugar, ginger and pork. Toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain saving marinade.
2) Cook noodles per package instructions. Drain and set aside.
3) Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep frying pan over high heat. Add pork and stir fry until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.
4) Add half the garlic slices and all the green onion and the white part of the cabbage. Stir fry until softened, about 30 seconds. Add the pork, reserved marinade and green portion of cabbage; stir fry until cabbage wilts, about 30 seconds.
5) Add noodles. Toss. Dissolve cornstarch in chicken stock and pour over noodles. Toss to coat noodles. Transfer to a serving platter.
6) Warm sesame oil in a small saucepan until smoking. Add reserved garlic and cook till fragrant. Pour over noodles. Season to taste with pepper. Yield: 4 servings.

I'm sending this recipe to Vanielje Kitchen who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights # 89.

Thai Sweet Chile Noodles

Today I'm moving from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia for a delicious noodle dish. There are always noodles, in one guise or another, in my refrigerator. These mildly hot, orange-flavored Thai noodles are delicious and good as an accompaniment or a stand-alone meal. I especially like to serve them with plain grilled meat or chicken. They have the added advantage of being ridiculously easy to make. This recipe is based on one developed by the chef at Caprial's (Pence) Bistro. These are, in my opinion, best served at room temperature or slightly warm. These are worth a try and come highly recommended. They are table ready in 15 minutes.

I'm sending this recipe to Ruth at Once Upon A Feast who is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night event.

Thai Sweet Chile Noodles

Ingredients:
12 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (optional)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Thai sweet chile sauce (i.e. Mae Ploy)
Chopped scallions, red chiles and cilantro for garnish, optional

Directions:
1)In a stockpot over high heat, bring about 8 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and noodles; cook until al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain well and place in large bowl. Set aside.
2. While noodles cook, whisk peanut oil, garlic, ginger, orange juice and zest, orange concentrate (if using), soy sauce and chile sauce in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss well. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped scallions, chiles and cilantro, if using. Serves 4-6.