RECIPE FILE; VEGAN THAI- THAI PICKLED GREENS
RECIPE FILE; CHINESE- VEGETARIAN CRISPY FRIED NOODLES
Tomorrow I am making Chiang Mai-style Khao Soi noodle bowls. I was inspire by the first episode of Netflix‘s, Somebody Feed Phil. This dish is taking a bit of a running start to produce. If I still lived in Oakland’s Chinatown I’d just do a quick shop at New Tin’s Market. Instead I have to pickle my own greens, not a bad skill to have and fry up my own crispy chow mein noodles. I’ve never done either.
My Giant Red Mustard plants got eaten by a plague of grillos, grasshoppers. Pretty little striped guys with indiscriminate and voracious appetites. They actually decimated my entire patch of mint. Their stripes make them difficult to spot. I have more seeds and plans for raised beds with netting over them to prevent it from happening again but for now I’m fresh out. Same with my Pak Choi and Savoy Cabbage. It was a bad year. I did manage to buy a large bundle of farm-fresh white chard which will do. The greens didn’t take long to make and here’s hoping they’ll be ready for tomorrow. the noodles are just a bit messy as they splatter but they’re dead easy.
Thai Style Pickled Greens
- 500 gm greens, I used white chard you can also use any single type or a combination of the following; mustard, arugula, pak choi, bok choi, Napa cabbage
- 3 cps water
- 1/3 cp rice vinegar
- 2 large pieces dried Galangal, Thai blue ginger root which is completely different from regular ginger
- 4 petals off a star anise
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 chile perron, this is a local manzana chile also called an Orange Ricotto Chile, it is fruitier and sweeter than a habanero but just as hot. Local says this chile does not upset the stomach.
Clean your greens and dry them. Chop them cross wise into 2 inch sections, including the stems which I cut in 1 inch pieces. If the chard is very wide, mine was young and narrow, split the leaves in half before cutting them up. Wear gloves for this part; seed and slice the chile into 3 equal pieces. Pack the greens tightly into a clean 1 qt jar alternating them with the pieces of chile, Galangal and anise petals.. You’ll have to really push them down. I finished with a chile on top.
Boil the water, vinegar, sugar and salt and slowly pour it over the greens until it covers them completely by 1/2 inch or more. You’ll have to use a fork to keep them down as you pour. Seal the jar and set it aside to cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for a minimum of 3 days. This is not a fermenting recipe they have those on line, but frankly I needed them in a hurry.
I confess I haven’t opened the jar as yet. I’ll let you know what I think and if it needs more time to mature I’ll eat the noodles without.
Crispy Fried Chow Mein Noodles
- A packet of dried chow mein noodles- spaghetti or any other pasta-noodle won’t work.
- Sesame Oil
- Salt
- Peanut oil or sunflower or cartamo but NOT olive oil
Boil the amount of noodles you think you’ll need, cooking them until they are almost done but still a bit firm. Drain them and toss them with a bit of salt and a drizzle of sesame oil. This seasons them and keeps them from sticking to each other.
Fill your wok or pot with 1 1/2 inches of oil. Fire it up heating it until the oil starts moving in waves across the bottom or until you add a bit of noodle and it bubbles up and sizzles. I use the latter method. Fry the noodles until their crisp and golden, drain on a paper towel. That’s it. Job done.
La Vieja Loca 