I have a habit of picking up ingredients that interest me, and then hoarding them in my pantry, never to be seen again.
Do you do this?
Am I the only one?
I am constantly finding random ingredients in my pantry that I had forgotten about, and generally, they go right back in, because I don’t have any ideas of what to do with them.
Specialty Pastas, Sauces, Condiments, etc. They all fit in this category.
Not long ago, I bought a package of Oakland Egg Noodles at The Market On The Square in Carlinville, because they came highly recommended by a co-worker. Admittedly, I normally throw egg noodles in a pot of soup.... or maybe a batch of chicken and noodles... but not much else.
I mean, that’s what they are FOR, right?
Right. And wrong.
While chatting up the owners of the Market, I learned that Nathan stir fries his noodles. Well, duh, of COURSE! My all time favorite Thai dish, Pad Sei Yew, is a mélange of chicken, spicy sauce, and rich, thick eggy noodles. Genius!
While rattling around this house this weekend, cleaning for Ty’s birthday party, I began cleaning out the fridge and pulled out a bunch of veggies that needed to be used. Some carrots, scallions, and a bunch of snow peas. Throw in some chicken and noodles and that was a satisfying lunch just waiting to happen!
Mix marinade ingredients together and let chicken marinate at least a half hour.
Quickly stir fry the marinated chicken pieces until almost done.
Add in your vegetables, and stir fry another minute, then add in remaining marinade and cooked noodles and cook another minute to finish cooking the chicken and marinade.
Top with cilantro and serve.
**Notes: the noodles add great texture to the stir fry as well as make it more filling for those of us who can’t live on veggies alone! Letting the noodles finish cooking with the marinade helps them soak up a bunch of the yummy flavor of the five spice and sesame.
