So Many Dishes

So many of the recipes I cook these days are Mediterranean, either in origin or influence. But there was a time when I did a lot of Asian cooking, and I pulled out one of those old recipes last night.

Stir fries were a go-to on busy nights, when juggling work and kids meant that time was at a premium. We had a rice cooker that saw so much use that it eventually quit. Actually, I just got rid of our second rice cooker a few months ago; the smaller quantities I cook these days are more practical to do in a saucepan on the stovetop. Noodle dishes were always favorites, too, and just as quick to cook.

The Complete Asian Cookbook was my primary recipe source. I had an old Better Homes & Gardens Asian cookbook, but that was limited to very Americanized Chinese and Japanese recipes. There was also a small Chinese cookbook with my wok. The wok was a Christmas present from Ken the first Christmas that we lived in Florida. It saw a lot of use until it started to rust through. Now I have a Greenpan wok pan, but it’s not the same. Complete Asian includes every cuisine from India to Japan.

We had eaten in a couple of Vietnamese restaurants before I tried cooking some Vietnamese dishes. The recipe I made last evening was one of our kids’ favorites, chicken with cellophane noodles. Except for the thin bean thread noodles and fish sauce, all the other ingredients are kitchen staples. When I first started cooking this dish, i would go to a wonderful Asian market, Fortune Cookie, for those specialty ingredients. Today, fish sauce is available in any supermarket, and while cellophane noodles can’t always be found in the store, there’s always Amazon.

One of my favorite things about this dish is the marinated tomato salad that accompanies it. The quantities of tomato and onion are given in the recipe, but it is dressed with unspecified amounts of vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. These are exactly the ingredients of a Pennsylvania Dutch salad that my mother and grandmother used to make. So I simply recreate that, and it’s perfect with the chicken and noodles. I like to spoon a little of the dressing over the chicken.

Chicken with Cellophane Noodles

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 4 oz. cellophane noodles
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water

For the salad:

• 2 firm ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion (or more, depending on your taste)
• Cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper

To prepare salad, mix a dressing of vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour over tomatoes and onions. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes.

Put noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water over, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and cut noodles into bite sized lengths (a kitchen shears is best for this).

Heat a wok, add oil, and swirl to coat. Add chicken and onions, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and water; bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Add noodles, return to a boil, stirring constantly, then cook 3 minutes longer. Serve immediately, accompanied by the salad. Serves 4.

I only included about 3 ounces of noodles when I made it this time, which was really all Ken and I needed. I have also substituted thin rice noodles in the past, and it’s just as good. I normally just “dump and stir” to make the salad dressing, but in case someone wants to recreate this dish, I measured this time. I used 1/3 cup of cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of sugar. I also added a tablespoon of water to help cut the acidity of the vinegar, as my grandmother did. A healthy pinch of kosher salt, a couple of grindings of pepper, and the dressing was done.

I’ve realized that has become comfort food for me. It’s a delicious, satisfying meal that isn’t particularly pretty, but it satisfies my soul.

Happy eating!