Every year (with the one exception of the viral debacle of 2020), my wife’s family does a big dinner every December to get together and enjoy each others’ company. After dinner, a white elephant gift exchange ensues! Normally, I bring a goofy gift…one year, I brought a coffee mug shaped like a toilet), but this year, I decided to switch it up. I went to the grocery store and bought some Rice Noodles, Thai Peanut sauce, Water Chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.
The person who first got the gift seemed less than pleased by the array…but when it came time for the “stealing round,” my wife’s grandpa very quickly stole the gift bag of Asian ingredients from its original recipient. He then sort of hid it beneath his chair to ensure nobody would steal it from him. After a successful defense of his desired bounty, he came up to me after the event and said, “I took this gift so that you could cook it for me! Let’s schedule a time.”
His request was the best gift, and my heart grew three sizes that day (Grinch style!). So, I made a practice dish before cooking his ingredients to make sure all would go according to plan. In sum, I cooked this two different ways, and both worked…but I think the method of tossing the cooked noodles in with the sauce and ingredients worked better than serving the Stir Fry over a bed of noodles…so that’s what will be reflected in the method section!
Time:
Ingredients:
- Shrimp
- Peppers. In this dish, we used red bell pepper, but the small sweet peppers (orange, red, and yellow) work really well too.
- Broccoli
- Onion
- Garlic
- Water Chestnuts
- Bamboo Shoots
- Thai Peanut Sauce
- Rice Noodles
- Soy Sauce
Method:
- Prep your ingredients!
- Cut your broccoli into florets, and steam it until it just begins to soften. We went with 2.5-3 minutes in the microwave.
- Slice your pepper(s) into thin strips.
- Slice your onion
- Peel and chop your garlic
- Peel and devein your shrimp
- Begin to heat a pot of water so it is boiling later when you need it.
- Heat some oil in your wok or a large pan.
- When your oil is hot, add in your onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until your onions begin to turn opaque.
- Add your broccoli, and pour in a little soy sauce, and continue to sauté.
- When your veggies soften, stir in your shrimp, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.
- As your shrimp cooks, add your rice noodles into your water, and cook for 3-4 minutes until they soften appreciably.
- When your shrimp turns from its whitish colour to pinkish/orange, pour in your peanut sauce, and stir to combine.
- Drain your noodles, and add them to your wok. Turn off the heat, and toss everything together with tongs for a moment. If you prefer, you can also plate your noodles and top them with your stir fry.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
