A very colorful dish.
After a movie one morning (Yes, I do go to morning movies, and it was a horror movie so I have to go by myself because none of my friends like that type of movie.) I stopped in my favorite little market, Hubble and Hudson, which is right across the street from the theatre.
I came out toting some tiny French green beans, tiny patty pan yellow squash and some baby zucchini and carrots. I already had a package of noodles that looked interesting that I picked up at Trader Joe’s, so I knew I had the makings for dinner one night. And hiding away in my pantry was a jar of Szechwan peppercorns that I needed to use.
Isn’t it nice to have recipes that you can throw together in a moments notice and not feel like you are spending hours in the kitchen preparing food that is eaten in less than 15 minutes?
The flavor from the Szechwan peppercorn comes from the husk around the seed and is know for taming down the other hot/spicy flavors of a dish. The seed itself has no flavor. I love getting out my mortar and pestle to crush the little things.
MY FIRST GIVEAWAY! OK, it isn’t a Kitchen Aid mixer like the Pioneer Woman gives away or a designer purse like other giveaways. I want to see how a giveaway would work for this blog. This giveaway is for a bottle of Smucker’s Key Lime Plate Scrapers that I used in the White Chocolate Key Lime Pie. WINNER drawn August 25th — Donna. Congrats.
You can use any type of chocolate as a drizzle on the plate and Hershey’s chocolate syrup works just find for the chocolate part of the recipe. You won’t find this key lime plate scraper in the grocery. Here’s what you do if you would like a bottle of the key lime Plate Scraper. Leave a comment below in the comment section. On August 25, I will randomly select a comment and mail the winner the bottle of key lime sauce that will make your key lime pie beautiful. So, leave any type of comment below and we will see how this works! I have many more ideas for future giveaways, so stay tuned!
On to this recipe:
Those are the cutest zucchini and yellow squash I have seen.
Crush the szechwan peppercorns either in a mortal and pestle or with a small hammer.
Have all your vegetables ready to add to the pan.
Szechwan Noodles with Baby Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1- 8 oz. pkg. noodles I used garlic basil linguini
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2-3 cups julienne vegetables I used French green beans, baby zucchini and baby squash, and carrots
- 3/4 c. shredded cabbage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil or peanut oil
- 1/3 c. chopped green onions finely chopped plus more for garnish
- Szechwan Sauce:
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic chopped fine
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root
- 1 tsp. Schezwan peppercorns crushed
- 1 Tbsp. Red chili paste more if you want more heat
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 3-4 Tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp. rice vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare szechwan sauce-- Heat oil in a pan and add the ginger, Schezwan peppercorns (that you have smashed) and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chili paste and saute for 1 minutes. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, salt and 3-4 tablespoons of water. Cook for 1 minutes. Add vinegar and crushed red pepper and cook for a few seconds and turn off heat. Cool and refrigerate. Its can be stored for few weeks.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and put a lid over them to keep warm. (You can use any type noodle. I've also used a Udon noodle.)
- Heat a wok with one tablespoon of vegetable oil till piping hot, add the green onions and stir fry for 1 minute on high heat. Add the rest of the vegetables and toss them on high heat for 3-4 minutes until they are starting to cook but still a little crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the scezwan sauce and mix. Add the drained noodles and toss to combine and stir in pan for a few seconds to reheat noodles. Garnish with more chopped green onions and serve.
Recipe Notes
I served with egg rolls with a sweet and sour sauce for dipping. I usually make my own egg rolls but didn't have the time today.
9 Comments
catherine irvin
August 16, 2013 at 6:31 amSherry,
I love your recipes and use them regularly! They are special to me since I worked with you at WS just a couple of years ago.
Sherry
August 17, 2013 at 7:41 amHi Catherine, Glad you read the blog. I really miss the people we worked with at WS and the discount. 🙂
judy millsap
August 17, 2013 at 6:16 amWhen you post a new recipe, I usually consider reading it as a visit with a friend…..even though living in Iowa was a very long time ago it seems I can hear you talking through your post. You intertwine the past, mentioning family and locations with your gentle humor in a really interesting way. I do love to read the recipes and see the pictures and even though I don’t cook as much as I used to, I do come back to look for recipes which intrigued me.
Sherry
August 17, 2013 at 7:40 amJudy, I think of Fort Madison often and the friends we made there. I’m glad you enjoy the blog.
Gena
August 18, 2013 at 11:43 amThe eggs you and I used to make together? Oh how I miss those days in Overland Park. We spent a lot of time together. Our kids did too! I read your blog and can hear your voice….
Gena
August 21, 2013 at 9:39 amThat should say egg rolls, not just eggs! LOL
Sherry
August 24, 2013 at 6:41 amKatherine and Donna added to drawing. My mistake, they posted a comment at cookie recipe.
Phyllis Roberts
August 24, 2013 at 11:12 amYour peanut cookies were a big hit at our hospital auxiliary bake sale. Thanks for the great recipes you share!
Nancy Biggs
August 24, 2013 at 12:33 pmSherry, love reading your blog and fab recipes!i knew you before
You ever thought about cooking! We were flying through
That field in your Wildcat! Enter me in the giveaway!