13 August 2013

Warm Glass Noodles with Edamame and Sesame Seeds



Could it get any greener ?



You have to be a fan of noodles and edamame to get into this dish, and enjoy a fresh and citrus-y lime and ginger dressing with mint and cilantro finishes ... I loved it! SB? Not so much ... oh well. That what keeps our life interesting.

This is another recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook called Plenty. I've enjoyed exploring the different recipes, but they are sometimes too adventurous for SB, so I've had to be a bit more hesitant to jump in on a regular basis with YO's vegetarian dishes. This dish, though, fits all the requirements for what I am putting in my system these days ... gluten-free rice noodles, beans, less butter and more heart healthy oils, more herbs for flavouring, and less meat.

The two issues that I did have with the recipe are ... tamarind paste. The sauce called for two teaspoons of the stuff and I found it really really gooey and resistant to breaking up, hence we came across small chunks of it in several bites and boy, ... super tangy ! The other was that the sauce was so light that it disappeared. I will admit to drizzling a bit of dark sesame oil over the finished noodles when I topped them with the herbs, toasted sesame seeds, and the rest of the edamame.

This recipe makes a huge platter of noodles, so plan accordingly. There was far too much for us and that's even planning for leftover noodles for next day lunch and snacks. The next time I make this I will make half the recipe.

So ... a relatively healthy carbohydrate fix that is as green and light as it gets! Here you go!




Yotam Ottolenghi’s Warm Glass Noodles with Edamame

Serve 6

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tbs. grated ginger root
Juice of 4 limes
3 tbsp. peanut oil
2 tbsp. sugar ( I used raw sugar)
2 tsp. tamarind paste
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp. Kosher salt


Noodles and Beans Ingredients:

7 oz. package of cellophane noodles
2 tbsp. canola oil (I used peanut oil)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 ½ c. cooked edamame beans
3 scallions, whites and greens cut into thin coins
1 fresh red chile, small dice (you decide how hot you want things)
3 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro plus some leaves for garnish
3 tbsp. fresh chopped mint plus a few leaves for garnish
3 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted (I like using both white and black seeds for interest)
Sesame oil for drizzling (my addition to the dish)

Making the Dish:

  1. Have a large pan of hot water ready for softening the noodle. Drop the noodles into the hot water and stir them every couple minutes, testing until theyare the perfect al dente.
  2. Steam the edamame until it is done, drain and bath in cool water to stop the cooking. Set the beans aside.
  3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, whisking hard to break up the tamarind paste. Set aside.
  4. Heat the wok over medium high heat. Add the canola (or peanut) oil and the garlic and stir fry until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the chili pepper and cook for just a minute.
  5. Turn the heat off under the wok and add the sauce, the noodles, and about ⅔ of the drained edamame beans. Toss gently to combine and coat everything with the sauce.
  6. Return to the stove and bring the heat up under the pan, cover for just a few minutes to get things all warm
  7. Turn the noodles and edamame onto a pretty platter, sprinkle the rest of the edamame over top with the sesame seeds.
  8. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil over all, garnish with more fresh mint and cilantro and serve in nice big noodle bowls.

NOTE: Do test the noodles frequently so that they don’t become too soft … when they turn soft they turn to mush.




I am posting this to the I Heart Cooking Club's weekly homage to Yotam Ottolenghi ... this recipe fulfills last week's "Go Green" them AND this week's "Nuts and Seeds" them  ... go see what others are makiung!


9 comments:

  1. It's not easy being green! LOL. Looks good though!

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  2. Hi Susan,
    It is green and it looks good! Wonderful flavour from all the ingredients. Our tamarind paste over here, dissolves easily when mixed with water. I'm not sure whether you can get it from over there, but the brand is called "Adabi".
    The sesame seeds looks good with the noodles and I love edamame beans!
    A wonderful, healthy pick for this week!

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  3. how funny, I ate something very similar last night and it was delicious... i'm really in to edamame at the moment, they're such a hearty bean with a very nice taste... this is such an ideal meal for me, looks so pretty too!

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  4. This looks green and very healthy as well.

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  5. This was the first Ottolenghi recipe I made after receiving the book Plenty for Christmas. It was like a detox meal after the rich foods of the holiday season. I've made it a few times since but your post and beautiful photos have reminded me that it's been a while.

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  6. I like how you've combined two themes into one--very efficient! I missed green week.

    The lime and ginger dressing sounds really good. The entire dish looks like food that makes you feel good while eating it.

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  7. This looks divine - exactly my kind of dish - in fact, I don't know how I've not made this one already. Like you, I imagine I would be the only one in my household that would really go for it though, but I never mind that - I would be very happy to munch my way through the leftovers for three days!!

    With regards to the tamarind - it sounds like you have tamarind pulp as opposed to tamarind puree/paste. So what you need to do is to soak it in a little bit of warm water to break it up and then after soaking, strain and use the paste that you strain off. Alternatively look for jars of tamarind concentrate in places like Asian grocers which will look like one of these: https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=tamarind+concentrate&client=firefox-a&hs=7Ta&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=K3URUuzRMemeiAef94AY&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1138&bih=471

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    1. Thanks so much, Sue! Indeed, in looking at the tiny packet of tamarind, it is pulp and I didn't know the difference (duh!). Thanks for helping out on this puzzler!

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  8. This is such a pretty dish. I'd love to have a big plateful for dinner--so light but satisfying. ;-)

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