Of the Asian Persuasian

Crisp fresh vegetables, tender Udon noodles coupled with a spicy ginger soy sauce and artfully topped with sprigs of cilantro, green onions and crunchy cashews, this dish begs you to whip out your chop sticks and dig right in.

My favorite aspect of this dish is how well all of the textures and flavors play off of each other and provide an element of surprise with each bite. The bright and bold flavors of the spicy ginger soy sauce are balanced by the coolness of fresh cilantro and green onions while the veggies and toasted cashews provide a subtle crunch. I love making Chinese food because it is so versatile and the combinations are endless. This dish starts with Udon noodles (usually found in the refrigerated vegetable section of any grocery store) adds in vegetables, and then tosses in a basic, but certainly not plain sauce. The best part is, the combinations are endless. My recipe is listed below, but I encourage you to tweak it. Try throwing some pork or chicken or play around with different veggie combinations. If you don't care for the heat that this dish offers, leave out the crushed red pepper flakes. (Or maybe you want to add some more?) It's up to you. Go with your likes and this dish will fulfill that desire for a meal from the far east.

Sauce-
~1/2 c. soy sauce
~2 healthy tbs Dijon mustard
~1 tsp fresh finely grated ginger
Fresh black pepper

Add-ins-
Udon Noodles
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 c. sugar snap peas, cut in half
7-8 small button mushrooms, cut into quarters
1/4 c. frozen corn
Vegetable oil for pan
Handful of whole cashews

Garnishes-
Thinly sliced green onions
Fresh cilantro sprigs

To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients, mix thoroughly and set aside. Boil the udon noodles in salted water until tender and set aside. In a frying pan, fry up the mushrooms in a little vegetable oil. Add the carrots and gently toss. Cook for a minute or so on medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas, corn, and cashews. Let cook for a minute. The trick is to not overcook the veggies. They should still have a healthy snap to them. Add the noodles to the pan and pour sauce on top. Toss all ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Top with green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!