Chow Mein Remix

* adapted from Williams-Sonoma: Food Made Fast Asian (Food Made Fast)

1/2 lb. noodles (chinese noodles, thai noodles, rice noodles or italian pasta are all fine)
Oil (peanut, canola or whatever you have)
4-6 C thinly sliced veggies (use what you have: onions, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, etc.)
1 T ginger, grated or paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. meat or seafood (optional)

Sauce:
2 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 t sugar (optional, to taste)

Cook pasta according to directions. Toss in a large bowl with a little oil to keep separated, and set aside. Mix sauce ingredients, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, stir fry veggies over medium high heat. Spoon into a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil, saute ginger & garlic for 5 seconds, add meat (if using) and saute 3-4 minutes (or until cooked). Add noodles and sauce to pan, and heat through. Return veggies to pan and heat through.

Transfer to bowls and eat!

Notes: Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. I also sauteed some spinach with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and soy sauce (ponzu is good too) and placed on top of chow mein – as seen in the picture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Something about chili makes my mouth water.  It’s so versatile, and leftovers are even better.  A few years ago a friend of mine, who hails from Texas, gave me a fantastic (and easy) recipe for chili.  I took that recipe and morphed it a bit to suit our tastes.  My husband likes stew that is “soupy”, which makes balancing flavor with a bit more liquid.  I like it more on the chunky side, so this recipe is a compromise of the two.  Try it out and see what you think.

Turkey & Bean Chili

1 lb. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium bell peppers, chopped (red or yellow)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 15-oz cans diced tomatoes

1 15-oz tomato sauce

3 15-oz cans lower sodium beans, undrained (pinto, black or kidney)

3 T chili powder

4 T ground cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

Brown ground meat, onions, bell pepper and garlic in large dutch oven over medium heat until veggies are soft.  Remove excess fat and add remaining ingredients, stir to combine.

To cook in oven:  Cover pot and bake at 225 for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

To cook in crock pot: Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

To serve, ladel over rice (or handful or corn chips) or into a bowl.  Topping suggestions: chopped onion, sour cream and shredded cheddar or jack cheese.  (We also make up a batch of corn bread.)

Other Chili recipes you might like:

Turkey Chili (Simple Recipes)

Chipotle Chili (Cooking with Amy)

Beef Chili with Chipotle Chilies and Cilantro (Epicurious)

I love ramen, and I’m not talking about the instant kind in a cup (although there is a time and place for that too).  When my husband and I travel back to Japan, one of the things we do is frequent ramen shops.  The best ones are usually the corner shops where the owner is in the kitchen, smoking and cooking.  Ahh yes, the local places…

So, let’s go on a journey, a Ramen Fest, if you will.  Why?  Cause it’s yummy!

This is the menu.  Yes, there is only one item.  I was a little confused the first time I went to this restaurant (which is in Morioka, Japan).  Basically you walk in the restaurant and tell them how many you want, and then they serve you…

This is called Shoyu Ramen.  Take a minute to soak it in…

This is a combination of Tonkotsu and Shoyu Ramen.  That meat on top?  It’s called “Chashu” and it’s glorious.  Think pork roast, braised in a ginger, garlic soy sauce type broth.  Oh yeah, it’s good.

This was from a mall in Saitama, outside Tokyo.  A mall?  Yes, a mall.  This is another Shoyu Ramen, and so far, in my Ramen Quest, this is the best.ev.er.

That ends this session of “Ramen Fest”.  You can bet I’ll post again when I have more to share.

Have you had ramen or a recipe to share?  Leave a comment and share the ramen love!