The jicama acts like water chestnuts by giving this dish a bit of a crunch. If you don’t have jicama, use the chestnuts. Adding the fresh herbs at the end of the cooking ensures that they will maintain their flavor.
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 medium carrot, sliced
½ cup frozen peas
½ of a red bell pepper, sliced into long strips
¼ of a red onion, sliced thin
¼ of a jicama, sliced thin
½ tsp. – 1 tsp. of ground ginger, depending on your taste
1 T. olive or sesame oil
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. soy sauce (reduced-salt or regular, depending on your taste)
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
bunch of fresh cilantro, sliced into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
bunch of fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
Whole-wheat linguini/spaghetti or buckwheat noodles
Slice the vegetables and garlic and set all aside.
Put plenty of water into the pot you’re going to use for the noodles—you will need some of it to de-glaze the pan you use for the vegetables. When the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions.
While the noodles are cooking, sauté the onions and carrots in the oil on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is almost translucent. Add the mushrooms and red pepper and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, cayenne (optional), and ginger. If the vegetables get too dry and you need to de-glaze the pan at any point, carefully add a ladleful of the boiling noodle-water. Caution: when you add the water, you’ll get a whoom! of steam, so add it at arm’s length!
When the noodles are nearly done, add the jicama and peas to the vegetables.
Drain the cooked noodles. While they are in the colander, add the fresh basil and cilantro to your vegetables, stir, and take the pan off the heat. Either stir the noodles directly into the vegetables or top the noodles with the vegetables. If you think you need more salt, you can either add table salt or more soy sauce.
Enjoy!
Print This Post
Tags: asian, bell peppers, fresh herbs, jicama, peas, spices, stir-fry
