Meatless Monday - Curried Rice Noodles (Side Challenge #1)

As we progress into spring, I've felt like spring cleaning and making all of my possessions work for me. Additionally, with the Recipe Challenge, I feel as though I've been neglecting my cookbooks (though in actuality, my use of cookbook recipes has also expanded). So in the spirit of ¨use it or lose it¨ I chose two underutilized cookbooks to cook five recipes each from by April 30th. If I don't, they are on the chopping block. The two candidates: Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites and Food to Live By.

To begin, I perused the pages and marked five (or in the case of Moosewood, six) recipes on a post-it note that lives on the front cover of each book, along with page number and a check box for marking off each one. And every time I go to the grocery store and am not sure what should be for dinner, I take a look at them to see if any of them fit my mood and schedule for the week.

Recipe #1 was Curried Rice Noodles, to help use up some leftover rice noodles in my pantry. While we both enjoyed this dish, it seemed as though it could have used a little sweet to temper the spices, as well as some protein to fill us up a little longer. Also, I found the combination of Indian spices with Thai noodles fa little confusing to my palate.

Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 45 minutes

Pasta

• 1/2 pound rice stick noodles

Dried Spices

• 2 t. curry powder
• 1 t. ground cumi
• 1/2 t. turmeric
• 1/2 t. ground coriander

Sauce

• 2 T. dry sherry
• 3 T. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 t. sugar

Vegetables

• 1 T. minced or pressed garlic
• 1 T. grated fresh ginger root
• 1 T. oil
• 1 c. thinly sliced red onions
• 1 c. peeled and julienned carrots
• 1 c. sliced red or yellow bell peppers
• 4 c. thinly sliced bok choy (I could not find this for love or money at the grocery store, until after I made the recipe)

lime wedges

minced fresh basil, cilantro, or scallions

Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Cover the bowl and set aside.

Mix together the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and coriander in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sherry, soy sauce, water, and sugar and set aside.

In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, combine the garlic, ginger, and oil and saute on medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the red onions and carrots and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the bell peppers and continue to cook, stirring, for about another 4 minutes. Add the bok choy and dried spice mixture and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture, cover, and simmer for another 2 minutes or until the bok choy is tender.

Drain the rice noodles, which should be softened, and add them to the saute. Stir until hot, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges and your choice of basil, cilantro or scallions.