Recipe - Asian Noodles With Summer Vegetables

8 ounce Dried spaghetti; linguine,
or your favorite pasta
2 tablespoon Flavorless cooking oil
2 lg Carrots; shredded
1 Sweet red pepper; shredded
1 Mediumsized yellow
zucchini, shredded
3 Whole green onions; shredded

SAUCE
One fourth cup Chopped basil leaves
One fourth cup Chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoon Very finely minced ginger
2 Cloves finely minced garlic
Skin from one lime; grated
1 teaspoon Grated orange skin
Three fourths cup Unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup Chinese rice wine or dry
sherry
2 tablespoon Oyster sauce
1 One half teaspoon Asian chile sauce
1 teaspoon Cornstarch

This recipe was made by Hugh Carpenter at a cooking class I took at the
Draeger's Culinary Center in San Mateo. That day, he used a bell pepper,
asparagus, 2 baby bok choy, yellow squash, green onion, and ginger instead
of the veggies called for. I usually just use what's available at the
store. He also suggests stirring in smoked BBQ chicken, rare roast beef,
dungeness crab, or cooked salmon fillet.

Advance Preparation: Bring 4 quarts of water to a rapid boil. Lightly salt
the water and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
When the pasta loses its raw texture but is still slightly firm, drain,
rinse with cold water, and drain again. Toss the pasta with half of the
cooking oil.

Cut the carrot into matchstick shaped pieces about 1 inch long and 1/8 inch
thick. Cut the red pepper, zucchini, and green onions into pieces the size
of the carrots.

In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the pasta until evenly mixed,
then refrigerate. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the
sauce. All advance preparation steps may be completed up to 8 hours before
you begin the final cooking steps.

Final Cooking Steps: Place a 12 or 14 inch sauté pan or a 14 or 16 inch
flat bottom wok over the highest heat. When the pan becomes hot, add the
remaining 2 tablespoons cooking oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the
pasta mixture. Stir and toss the pasta until it begins to become hot and
the vegetables brighten, about 5 minutes.

Stir the sauce, and then add it to the pasta. Stir and toss the pasta. As
soon as the pasta becomes hot, about 3 minutes, taste and adjust the
seasonings. Transfer to a heated platter or 4 heated dinner plated. Serve
at once.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Recipe by: Hugh Carpenter
Posted to KitMailbox Digest by Sheri Codiana sheri@netsamurai.com on Nov
26, 1997