While I love me some meat sometimes I eat totally vegetarian. I had a few bundles of soba noodles in my cupboard that I’ve been meaning to use up so when I saw this recipe in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics it sounded like a great option. I’m a fan of Asian-inspired noodle dishes and I had some broccoli on hand so it was a go. The only thing that I had to buy was sake. Incidentally I discovered that I don’t care for sake as a beverage. Granted I didn’t buy the expensive stuff so I probably just have to give it another try.
When it came to meal time I realized that some noodles and broccoli were not going to satisfy me. Luckily I had some tofu on hand so I whipped up a quick marinade (soy sauce, ginger and garlic) and baked it in the oven. The rest of the dish was quick and easy to assemble. There’s some chopping involved but overall it wasn’t too labour intensive.
The results were good. Not great, a bit better than okay but not spectacular. The dish wasn’t too spicy despite me adding more cayenne. I also think it could have benefited from multiple layers of heat… not just cayenne. I’m glad that I added some tofu because otherwise this wouldn’t have been hearty enough for dinner. It’s a great option for lunch and would definitely benefit from some additional veggies… dried Chinese mushrooms come to mind and maybe even some bok choy.
Spicy Broccoli Soba Sauté
1/4 c soy sauce
2 t sugar
2 t dark sesame oil
1 T cornstarch
1 T fresh lemon juice or rice vinegar
1/2 lb soba noodles
1 T vegetable oil
3 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/8 to 1/4 t cayenne pepper
4-5 c bite-sized broccoli florets
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/4 c water
1/2 c sake
1. In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and the lemon juice or rice vinegar until smooth and set aside. When the water boils, add the soba and cook for 8 minutes. Draine, rinse with warm water, and drain again. Set aside.
2. While the soba cooks, warm the oil in a wok or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic begins to turn golden. Stir in the broccoli, carrot, water, and sake; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender and bright green. Stir in the reserved soy sauce mixture and cook for a minute or two or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the soba and serve.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
2 Responses to Spicy Broccoli Soba Sauté
Leave a Reply
Tweet Tweet!
Follow the Blog
Follow Me
{new blog entry} Spicy Broccoli Soba Sauté http://goo.gl/fb/azVTq
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
have you ever been to the moosewood restaurant? curious.
We have ALL (ok minus one or two) cookbooks and we have
so many favorites. Glad to see you look those cookbooks too.