No-nonsense noodles
As an every-day meal or for an exotic recipe, there are plenty of types to try
If you had space to spare, you could easily fill a kitchen cupboard with various types of noodles. I found a cross-cultural selection in my cupboard, including chow mein noodles cooked in oil and plain chow mein noodles, Thai stick noodles (banh pho), soba noodles (made from buckwheat), little rice-shaped pasta called orzo, whole wheat lasagna, no-boil lasagna and spaghetti.
Spaghetti is a staple at our house. For years, I have relied on spaghetti when I need to pull together dinner in a hurry. In my house, everyday spaghetti is made by topping cooked spaghetti with commercial pasta sauce which has been fortified with cooked and drained ground beef. I like it best with a few curls of Parmesan cheese on top.
This is no gourmet dish, but it’s a tasty and satisfying meal that comes together in a hurry. If I am feeling ambitious and the vegetables are on hand, I sauté sweet peppers, onions, zucchini or mushrooms to add texture and flavours to the sauce. I am a little fussy about the commercial sauce that I buy, choosing one that is lower in sodium, as some contain astronomical amounts.
Thai noodles are also great for making quick meals, as they take just minutes to prepare by soaking briefly in boiling water, according to package instructions. If you are serving meals to anyone with celiac disease, it is good to have these on hand, as they are gluten-free. They can be used in soups, stirfries and curries, in classic dishes such as pad Thai and in these rice paper wraps which make an attractive alternative to regular sandwiches.
Cucumber and Shrimp Salad Rolls
Adapted from Chavich, Cinda: “The Waste Not, Want Not Cook Book: save food, save money, and save the planet”. Touch Wood Editions, Victoria, 2015.
Salad Rolls
56 g (2 oz) dried rice noodles
3 small English cucumbers
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 green onions
16 rice paper wrappers, each about 20 or 23 cm (8 or 9 inches) in diameter fresh cilantro leaves, Thai basil leaves, and/or mint leaves
500 mL (2 cups) shredded romaine or butter lettuce
250 g (½ lb) cooked small salad shrimp or crabmeat
Peanut Sauce
50 mL (¼ cup) natural peanut butter 25 mL (2 tbsp) soy sauce
25 mL (2 tbsp) coconut milk or water 2 mL (½ tsp) Asian chili paste
Cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes until tender, then drain and rinse in cold water to chill. Drain well and cut the noodles into 7.5 cm (3 inch) lengths
with kitchen shears. Set aside.
Cut the cucumbers into 7.5 cm (3 inch) chunks, then slice lengthwise. Stack the slices and cut into thin matchstick pieces. This is known as julienne. If you have a mandoline, use it to make the finest strips.
Cut the carrots into 5 cm (2 inch) lengths and julienne.
Cut the green onions (both white and green parts) into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces and then lengthwise into long slivers. To assemble the salad rolls, quickly dip a piece of rice paper into a bowl of hot water to soften (work with one piece at a time). Set the rice paper on a cutting board or clean kitchen towel. Layer some of the cooked noodles, cucumber, carrot, green onion, cilantro (and/or Thai basil and/ or mint leaves), lettuce, and shrimp along the bottom edge of the rice paper. Fold the sides in over the filling, and roll up tightly. The rice paper will stick to itself to seal the roll. Set aside on a plate and cover with a clean damp towel to prevent the rice paper from drying out and getting too chewy. Continue soaking and rolling until all of the rice paper and filling are used up. Keep the rolls covered with the damp towel, and seal with plastic wrap, then chill before serving
To make the peanut sauce, whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, coconut milk, and chili paste together until smooth.
To serve, use a sharp knife to cut each roll into 2 pieces on a sharp diagonal. Arrange the rolls, standing or overlapping on a platter, with a bowl of peanut sauce on the side for dipping. Makes 32 pieces