Asian Inspiration

I was trying to get inspired for this week's meals by looking in various cookbooks and magazines. While searching, I found this recipe for Chilled Noodle Salad with Mango in Vegetarian Times, which looked absolutely amazing and perfectly refreshing for a warm September evening. Plus, we had a fair number of the ingredients, making it a definite meal for the week. We paired it with Grilled Marinated Asian Tofu for me and a big, juicy steak for Adam. He was in absolute heaven (as was I).


Chilled Noodle Salad with Mango (Vegetarian Times, June 2008)

The recipe calls for bean sprouts, but despite looking everywhere, we couldn't seem to find any. I'm sure the salad would be wonderful with them, but I didn't feel like anything was missing without them. Also, the dressing calls for a red jalapeno chile. We used a red serrano chile with some of the seeds to intensify the heat. In addition, we used walnuts instead of roasted peanuts. I think any type of nut would work well with this dish; they add just the perfect crunch. And, don't skimp on the green onions. The recipe only calls for one, but I added 5 for extra tang. One thing--don't leave out the mint, it truly makes the dish.

Dressing
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 red jalapeno chile, finely chopped

Salad
8 oz. dried rice-stick noodles
1 large carrot, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leaf lettuce
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup bean sprouts
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed, optional

1. To make Dressing: Warm all ingredients in saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Cool.
2. To make Salad: Soak noodles in hot water 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3. Cook carrot in pot of boiling water 30 seconds. Transfer to colander with slotted spoon, and rinse under cold water. Add noodles to water and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to colander with carrots, and rinse under cold water. Drain, and chill.
4. Toss noodles mixture with lettuce, basil, mint, and 1/2 cup Dressing. Divide among 4 bowls. Top with cucumber slices, bean sprouts, and green onion. Arrange mango slices on top, and drizzle with remaining Dressing. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts, if desired.


Grilled Marinated Asian Tofu

One of the greatest qualities about tofu is that it can take on any flavor. Just by putting in it in a bag with spices and letting it sit for an hour, you can create a fantastic, flavor-packed meal.

2 slices of tofu
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sesame oil

1. Place all of the ingredients in a plastic storage bag.
2. Mix the liquids and garlic around to ensure the tofu has been thoroughly coated. Be careful not to break the tofu. Let the tofu sit room-temperature for at least an hour.
3. Grill on medium-high heat for 5 minutes each side, or until there are nice grill marks.