…Say that five times fast! It sounds complicated, but if you keep a good stash of ingredients from the Asian food aisle in your pantry, this dish is a no-brainer. That, and a little help from the grocery store. When I know I have a busy week ahead of me, I love making a huge portion of something that I can keep in my fridge and pick at throughout the week. This particular dish is perfect for those kinds of weeks. It’s also good either hot or cold, which makes it even more convenient. It does have a lot of ingredients, but most of them require minimal or no chopping and preparation. And, as you can probably tell by the title, it’s full of multi-dimensional, complex flavor.
Shrimp, Noodle, and Veggie Stir-Fry with Spicy Peanut Soy Sesame Sauce
Makes A LOT of servings. You can buy pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, which I highly recommend – much less time and mess.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 3 oz. soba noodles (a bundle about 1 inch in diameter)
- 15 pieces of peeled, de-veined frozen shrimp
- 1 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1/4 head green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 bell pepper (any color you like, I used green)
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, or snow peas
- 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 bundle green onions
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – use less if you don’t want it very spicy
Get a pot of water boiling for the soba noodles. When it starts boiling, add the noodles and cook for 6-8 minutes, then drain and set aside. Add the vegetable or canola oil to a large, high-sided pan, or a wok if you have one, on medium-high heat. I suggest you put a cutting board right next to the pan, so you can easily “chop-and-drop” your veggies into the pan (hate to use a Rachael Ray-ism, but I just did). Gather up all of the ingredients except the ones for the sauce. First, add the shrimp and cook them until they’re pink and translucent. This happens very fast, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the shredded purple cabbage, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, and edamame, and toss around in the pan with the shrimp. Chop up the celery, cutting it on the diagonal, and cut the bell pepper up into strips. Add them into the pan. Cut the 1/4 cabbage head into long, medium-width strips, and add to the pan. Cut the green onions right over the pan using scissors (a trick I learned from the fabulous Nigella Lawson). Cook until the green cabbage wilts, and turn off the heat. Lastly, add the cooked soba noodles and toss everything together.
To make the sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients in a small jar or tupperware container, loosen up the peanut butter a little bit with a fork, close the lid securely, and shake it up. Pour the sauce over the stir-fry, toss, get out some chopsticks, and chow down! I like it with a bowl of miso soup, which can be found in individual packages. Just boil 1 cup of water (or microwave it for 2 minutes), and stir in the package ingredients.
Another awesome convenience this recipe offers – when the leftovers aren’t looking like much, stretch them out by adding some chicken broth and make it into a soup. I’m telling you, this dish will keep you from going hungry and scrounging for food all week. Well, unless you love it as much as I do and end up eating it for lunch AND dinner every day until it’s gone…and then make more :)
