Cookin' with Moxie

 

Is there one night a week that you make pasta? We have at least one or two nights like that in my house for sure. Come on – I’m Italian! Sometimes I just want to change things up though. So instead of making a traditional red sauce, I opted for this asian-inspired noodle dish. It is basically a stir-fry without meat. The ingredient that really brings this dish to life is hoisin sauce. When it comes to that stuff, a little goes a long way. If you have never tasted it before, it’s like someone threw a party and invited salty, sweet and spicy! The typical ingredients you will see in one of these little bottles are soybean paste, garlic, vinegar and sometimes chili peppers. I guess one can say it’s like a Chinese BBQ sauce. Sounds good, right?!

This is a delicious pasta dish that I’m sure will become a favorite in your house if you like this type of flavor combination. To make this dish vegetarian, all you have to do is swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock. I served this as a side dish alongside my General Tso’s Chicken, but it is definitely filling enough to be a stand-alone entree. It sure beats take out!

Hoisin-Soy Noodles (adapted from Boston.com)
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 lb fettucine
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 3/4 (14 ounce) package of shredded coleslaw mix
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Sesame seeds, to garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for your pasta. In a small bowl stir together chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin, and cornstarch. Add the fettucine to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is al dente.
2. In a large stock pot that will hold the pasta and all the vegetables, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and bell pepper slices and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring often, until they start to soften. Add the coleslaw mix to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until it starts to wilt. Taste the vegetables to make sure they are tender to your liking.
3. Stir the chicken stock mixture that you have off to the side once again as the cornstarch may have settled to the bottom of the bowl. Add it to the vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring until the sauce thickens.
4. Drain the fettucine and add to the vegetables and sauce mixture. Toss to combine. Add the sliced green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Toss once again. Sprinkle on sesame seeds just before serving.

Tutti Mangia!

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Nights. It is a weekly blogging event that was started by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. Tutti Mangia!

Related posts:

1. Chicken Meatballs Piccata This will be one of my first blog posts that I actually used one of the 90+ cookbooks that I own. Yes I have a...
2. Orecchiette with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Boursin Sauce This pasta is yet another easy weeknight meal that you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes. Boiling the water for the...