drunken noodles

by

Drunken Noodles and a Decade

10-years-birthday-cakeNow that I have a new job I am unable to write this post the way I intended. I want to scream to the world what this past decade meant to me and how the one prior was just as important, or even more so. A decade. A DECADE!!! A decade of serenity. Happiness. Work, and then more work. I never gave up. This decade was more acceptable than the one prior. More do-able. I’ll take the hard work over the wasted moments any day. I’ll sacrifice a few nights a week so that I can be this happy. This comfortable in my skin. This powerful. For today, and the past 3652.5 days I have lived a life I had never even imagined. Not for one moment, while praying to porcelain Gods, would I have thought that I could wake up and know where my car was or to remember the events of the night prior. Needless to say, I could not have done this alone. Thank you friends, family, fellowship and HP. Not for one second could I have done this alone.

Let’s talk drunken noodles. So I had these for the first time at our local Asian restaurant and fell in love. They are called drunken noodles because they are so spicy that you’ll want to drink a lot to help with the hotness. Some say beer or a sparkling wine pairs well. Ice water worked just fine for this gal right here. I decided to make these myself at home since I wanted them all too often and do not always have the funds to eat out. Here is my rendition of drunken noodles compliments of www.epicurious.com. Enjoy this Thai classic.

Happy cooking friends. Thank you for being on this amazing journey with me…

Ingredients

2 14-ounce packages 1/4-inch-wide flat rice noodles

1/4 cup vegetable oil

12 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai chiles

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)

1/4 cup black soy sauce

1/4 cup Golden Mountain sauce or light soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges

4 Anaheim chiles or Italian frying peppers, or 2 green bell peppers (about 12 ounces total), cut into strips

1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves or regular basil leaves

Preparation

  1. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and Thai chiles; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken and next 4 ingredients and sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Anaheim chiles; toss to coat. Transfer to large platter, sprinkle with basil leaves, and serve.

High Altitude Adjustment

  • None

Compost

  • Garlic, tomatoes, basil and all chile trimmings

Recycle

  • Noodle and soy sauce packaging

Reuse

  • Plastic bags that the vegetables came in.