Celebrate Lunar New Year with this tasty dish that symbolizes long life
In Chinese culture, noodles symbolize longevity. These slightly thick noodles have the springy firmness that is ideal for eating on their own or as part of a multicourse meal to soak up extra sauce from other dishes. Cutting the noodles while cooking or serving is considered bad luck, so make sure they are served as long as possible.
Longevity Noodles with Spicy Pork & Vegetables
Ingredients:
12 ozs. fresh lo mein noodles (or fresh linguine)
1 tsp. sesame oil
12 ozs. pork loin, butt or shoulder, cut into ¼-inch slices
1½ tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry, plus 1 tbsp., divided
1 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce, plus 1 tbsp., divided
½ tsp. salt, divided
2 tsp. chili-garlic sauce (or sriracha and 1 tsp. minced ginger)
2 tbsp. peanut oil or canola oil
1 tbsp. minced ginger
6 ozs.(about 4 cups) baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
4 ozs. (about 2 cups) fresh shiitake mushrooms, caps removed, cut into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add noodles, return to a rolling boil and cook according to package directions until al dente (tender but firm). Carefully pour the noodles into a colander and rinse with cold water. Shake well to remove excess water. Return the noodles to the pot. Add sesame oil and toss until well combined, then set aside.
Place pork in a shallow bowl. Add cornstarch, 1 teaspoon rice wine or sherry, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat pork. Combine chili-garlic sauce (or sriracha) and remaining 1 tablespoon each of rice wine/sherry and soy sauce in a small bowl.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok (or large frying pan) over high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil and add ginger (and garlic if not using chili-garlic sauce); using a spatula, stir-fry until ginger is fragrant, about 10 seconds. Push the ginger to the sides of the wok, carefully add the pork, spreading evenly in one layer. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Stir-fry until the pork begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add bok choy and mushrooms; stir-fry until the bok choy is just wilted but the pork is not cooked through, about 1 minute. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add the noodles and stir-fry until just combined, about 15 seconds. Stir the soy sauce mixture and swirl it into wok. Add scallions, cilantro and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry until the pork is cooked through and the noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes.
Source: EatingWell.com
