Curried Rice Noodles (Sah Lee Chau Mai Fun)

curry braised seitan tidbitsThis dish has a very strong curry flavor. Not for those just wanting a hint of curry. I adjusted down the oil used in the original recipe and simplified the steps a bit. I found some rice noodles that are long tubes with a hole in the middle. They cook up to be about the size of udon, maybe a little smaller. If you can find these, they feel very satisfying in the mouth and take the sauce inside and out so more of it sticks to the noodles.

Last time I made this, I also threw in half a can of Curried Braised Seitan Tidbits that I picked up on a recent trip to Buford Highway. These are more spongy rather than the texture we’re used to in seitan we get at the heath food store. The curry flavor on them was pretty mild and a little sweet. It didn’t take away from the flavor of this dish. It was a great addition that made the dish a little more hearty.

Curried Rice Noodles

8 ounce dry rice noodles
3 quarts warm water

—Curry Mixture
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 ½ teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh coriander , minced
1 ½ tablespoon curry powder, mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable stock
3 tablespoon vegetable stock
2 ½ tablespoon soy sauce

—To complete the dish
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 slice fresh ginger, 1 1/4-inch thick
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup snow peas
6 scallions, cut into 1 1/2″ slices, white portions quartered
1 medium sweet red bell pepper, julienned (1 cup)

1. Cook or soak noodles according to package directions until moderately softened. Drain well, tossing occasionally to assist the draining process. Allow to stand at least one hour.

2. As the noodles drain, prepare curry mixture. In a saucepan, heat the peanut oil over high heat. Ad ginger, garlic and coriander and stir well. When the garlic turns light brown, add the curry powder-stock mixture. Stir and allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, stir and simmer for 10 minutes, covered, over lower heat. Add the soy sauce and stir in well. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times until smooth and blended. Reserve.

3. Heat a wok over high heat for 45 seconds and add the remaining peanut oil to coat the wok. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the slice of ginger and salt. Cook for about 30 seconds, until the ginger turns light brown. Add all vegetables and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes, or until the snow peas turn bright green. Add noodles and and cook stirring until well combined, another 2-3 minutes. Serve hot.

Adapted from From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.