Simple Veggie Stir fry

I've been on a big Asian food kick lately; I'll have to recount some of my adventures in crispy spring rolls, Vietnamese sandwiches, and savory noodle dishes in another post. But, much as I love treating my palate to restaurant-prepared dishes, what I'd really love is to be able to make my dish last long enough to pick it apart; to identify ingredients and spices and ponder how I might prepare the meal in my own kitchen. While I don't believe I possess the necessary devotion or skill to recreate these meals, I'd like to be able to whip up a version that satisfies me just the same.

So I decided to start with the one of the very few Asian dish in my repertoire: a vegetable stir fry. Now, my typical "stir fry" dish involves a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, crushed garlic, and white rice; so it wouldn't take much to step up my game.  But, after a little experimentation and research, I found that a few subtle changes can make all the difference.

I actually drew some inspiration from a failed attempt at Pad Thai. Though Gus begs to differ - out of the kindness of his heart or his boundless love for this dish in any form, I do not know - I considered the end result a big disappointment. I was following a recipe from Mark Bittman of The New York Times. No, he isn't necessarily an expert in the cuisine, nor does he have it in his blood, but he has a great reputation and I trusted he had done his research. Plus, what better way to start with the basics than with the minimalist as my guide? Compared to the dozen other recipes I consulted, his looked fairly straightforward. I was slightly alarmed at the amount of honey called for, but I shoved my inhibitions aside; I just figured Bittman was on to something.

Well I thought wrong. I followed the recipe down to a T, stopping at six, that's six, different stores to get all the right ingredients, prepping what I could the day before, and devoting my full attention to every step. But the sauce proved the downfall. The strong, floral notes of the honey and the salty, pungent fish sauce didn't so much complement each other as they did continually threaten to overpower one another, completely overwhelming my senses and masking the more subtle flavors in the dish. Despite my disappointment, I did come away with some lessons: #1, Trust no one (I can hear my Dad's voice echoing right now in my head); and #2, A little trial and error can be a great learning tool. Sometimes, you can't just jump in and expect to nail something on your first try. Pick up tips when you can and learn from your mistakes.

Bittman's recipe does contain some useful tidbits that helped informed what I will now call my "simple veggie stir fry." In the accompanying article to his recipe, he explains for instance, that rice noodles can be soaked in hot water instead of boiled (I assume so they don't get all mushy); and that tamarind is a sour paste made from the pulp of the tamarind pod used to flavor Asian dishes. But mainly I got some basic ideas from the way his recipe started out and the selection of ingredients he used.

Instead of vegetable oil, for example, I used sesame seed oil for frying, which added some depth and flavor. And to my usual seasoning of crushed garlic and soy sauce, I added fresh green onions and a bit of chili garlic sauce I had on hand, which is pretty much just that: a very hot combination of chili, salt, vinegar, and garlic. As for my veggies, I opted for a very simple combination of fresh button mushrooms, a red bell pepper, and shredded cabbage - but really anything can be used. And I stir-fried the rice noodles, à la Pad Thai, to meld the flavors.

The result was surprisingly quite different and much more satisfying that my usual stir-fry dish; I may even go so far as to say it has some wok hei - which is that amazing essence stir-fry dishes have that you previously didn't have a word for which to describe. And the best part about all of this? It's quick, simple, inexpensive, and relatively healthy, i.e. it fights the criteria for a good weeknight meal.

Simple Veggie Stir fry

Serves: 2-4

- Ingredients -

• 3 tablespoons sesame seed oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 6 ounces fettucini-width rice noodles

- Instructions -

1. Put noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit until noodles are just tender; check periodically to make sure they don't get too soft. The noodles will begin to rise to the surface and twist once they're about done. Drain, drizzle with one tablespoon sesame oil to keep from sticking and set aside. *Don't make the same mistake I did, make sure to do this step first, as it takes awhile for the noodles to cook this way!
2. In the meantime, heat the remaining oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and garlic and cook for about a minute, but don't brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until they start to release their juices and brown.  Add the red pepper and cook for about a minute. Add the cabbage, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce to the wok, and stir to coat. Once the cabbage begins to wilt, transfer veggies to a large bowl and set aside. 
3. Add noodles and a bit of oil to the hot wok. Cook on medium-high for a couple minutes, stirring continuously. Add a bit more soy sauce and chili garlic sauce to the noodles, if desired. Add the vegetables back to the wok and stir everything together, letting the flavors absorb for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve immediately.