Creamy Malaysian-Style Rice Noodles with Shrimp, Bok Choy, and Snow Peas
This week has been tough. It’s been a roller coaster ride of emotions. My normally relaxed and easy-going life has been overhauled with visits to doctors, veterinarians, and uncomfortable corners of my psyche. So, needless to say when I needed to make dinner last night, I wanted something quick, delicious, nutritious, and did I mention quick? I’ve made this dish about a kajillion times, so I figured it was just the one to whip up.
This dish can so easily be adapted to be vegan. What I would do is replace the shrimp with tofu or sliced portobello. If you decide to make it with tofu, drain the tofu first for 15 minutes to an hour. After that, dice it up and marinate it in a mixture of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, tamari, chili garlic sauce, and a couple of pinches of Garam Masala and turmeric for about an hour.
Tofu would be best sauteed seperately and thrown over the top of the finished dish. If you use portobello, use it just as the shrimp is used in the following recipe.
Anyway you make this dish, it is so fast, easy and good for you. An added bonus is that it contains coconut milk. I’m a huge fan of anything coconut and not just because it tastes awesome. Coconut contains lauric acid which is known for its antimicrobial properties and for helping to raise your metabolism. After having a week like I’ve had, it’s nice to know that I’ve got a little extra help keeping my immune system and my thyroid healthy.
CREAMY MALAYSIAN-STYLE RICE NOODLES WITH SHRIMP, BOK CHOY, AND SNOW PEAS
serves four
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 large head bok choy, stalks thinly sliced and leaves chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 Tbs. ground turmeric
2 tsp. Garam Masala
3 pinches spicy Indian chili powder, or 1 tsp. chili powder plus 1 pinch cayenne
3/4 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 1/2 pound diced tofu or 2 sliced portobello caps)
2 cups snow peas
1 cup hot vegetable or chicken stock
1/3 cup cashew, peanut, almond, or sunbutter
1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 lime, juiced
1 Tbs. chili garlic sauce, or to taste (1 Tbs. gives it quite a kick, so you may want to start with less.)
salt, to taste
1/2 pkg. thin Asian rice noodles, cooked
For garnish: cilantro leaves, sesame seeds, or thinly sliced scallions
1. In a large skillet, pot, or wok, heat sesame oil over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, bok choy stalks, and red bell pepper and lower heat to medium high. Add the turmeric, Garam Masala, and chili powder and stir until everything is nicely coated in spice. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. When the shrimp are about half cooked, throw in the snow peas.
2. While the shrimp and snow peas are cooking, combine the hot stock, nut/seed butter of your choosing, coconut milk, tamari, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce and mix until smooth. Pour this mixture in with the veggies and let cook for about 5 minutes to thicken.
3. Toss in the cooked rice noodles, stir it up, and serve garnished with cilantro, sesame seeds, and/or sliced scallions.
P.S. Here’s another friendly reminder that you should come Twitter with me! You can find me HERE.
P.P.S. I’m thinking about doing a virtual book club through my blog. Anyone interested? If so, let me know and I’ll start thinkin’ of some goodies we can read.
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I love the book club idea! I’d love to join you!
One food-related book I’ve been reading lately is Eat, Memory, which is a collection of NY Times essays edited by Amanda Hesser. It’s not coming out until the beginning of November, but it’s one of those thoughtful books on what food means to our very beings.
Just one suggestion! Let me know what you end up deciding on…