Stir Fry Rice Noodles

By EmJ Remer

Ingredients

• 1 bundle of Rice vermicelli noodles or glass noodles
• 3 teaspoons of Sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Lemongrass paste (either one stalk sliced thinly)
• 1 teaspoon Ginger (either in paste, liquid, or cubed)
• 1 cup chopped Cabbage
• 1 cup chopped brown Mushrooms
• ½ cup chopped Carrot
• ½ cup chopped Celery
• 1 ½ tablespoon Soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Black bean sauce
• 1 teaspoon Rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili paste

Cooking instructions

Estimated cooking time: around 40 minutes

Serving size: 4 people

1. Boil 4 cups of water
2. Add vermicelli noodles in water to cover them in a pot for 4 minutes
3. Check if noodles are cooked to preference and rinse
4. Chop vegetables into desired sizes
5. In a deep pan put 2 teaspoons of oil with lemongrass and ginger
6. Turn on heat and cook for 1 minute
7. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté
8. Place the rest of the vegetables into pan and cook to desired texture
9. Add in another teaspoon of oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce
10. Put noodles into the pan with vegetables with heat on
11. Add chili paste and black bean sauce, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes to prevent burning

Story of this meal

Food can be a display of culture, environment, and experience. This recipe is a display of these three components in my life with how it developed into a quick and easy meal. Growing up with value being greatly placed onto trying new foods and understanding the culture that they are from I was exposed to many dishes from other cultures. I grew to love the flavors of East Asian and Southeast Asian cooking which is what I was most able to experience. Growing up in a lay Buddhist environment I was taught to try everything that is available to me and to not turn my nose up at the food practices of others. Not only have I lived with this philosophy, I have taken it as a challenge to be able to cook with ingredients that are not commonly found around me. The recipe above has evolved over the years, month by month, to what ingredients are available; it was always a staple in my house growing up being made by my father for my family and it is now being copied and modified by me for when I cook for my friends and family. Although this recipe excludes onions, garlic, and any meat product, for Buddhist traditional reasons, it is easy enough to modify to include these ingredients to the enjoyer's taste.