Recipe Friday

Cold Soba Noodles with Vietnamese Pork

3 tablespoons chopped green onions, divided
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
4 teaspoons fish sauce, divided
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound boneless pork cutlets, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
8 ounces uncooked organic soba noodles
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
3 cups chopped napa (Chinese) cabbage
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
Cooking spray

1. Combine 1 tablespoon onions, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through pork) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, vinegar, and chile paste in a large bowl, stirring well. Add noodles, cabbage, and bell pepper; toss to coat.

4. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove pork from marinade. Add pork to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until done. Arrange pork over noodle mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons onions.

Verdict: Yum. This is perfect for summer. It's easy to prepare, and you can make almost all of it beforehand. I had the bowl of noodles and vegetables in the fridge and the pork marinating long before B got home from work. When he showed up, all I had to do was throw a salad together and saute the pork for a few minutes. The crunchy raw vegetables go well with the soft noodles, and the dressing is wonderful. Of course I doubled the amount of meat to keep B happy, so I doubled the marinade also. I thought it could have used perhaps a little more sambal oelek, but when I had leftovers for lunch the next day, I definitely tasted it. So maybe that's the right amount after all. WIN!