Spicy soba noodles

One of my new year's resolutions is to make at least one recipe from every cookbook I own.

I can't say that I watched many cooking shows as a kid, but there weren't many on back then. In fact, the only one I remember is "Yan Can Cook." The star, Martin Yan, was so animated-- always moving, telling stories, making jokes, and turning out some really exotic (for the early 80s) cuisine. In fact, the show started the year I was born, so I really did grown up with it.

One day a couple of years ago, Martin Yan came to the cafeteria at my place of work and signed copies of his most recent cookbook. There was a little bit of snow, which is a big deal for Portland, so no one was around. I bought the book, had it signed, and posed for a photo with him. It's a terrible photo-- I was having a really bad hair day-- so I'm not going to post it here, but the cookbook has been more sentimental than utilitarian... until last week.

I needed a super-quick dinner, but stir-fry can be so boring. Searching for inspiration, I saw the unusual combination of sauce ingredients in the "Spicy soba noodles" recipe: soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari!), sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, fresh ginger, and turmeric. Intriguing!

Although I used rice noodles, stir-fried a number of vegetables-- Chinese cabbage, asparagus, carrots, onions, garlic-- and tempeh, and served the dish hot, the sauce really shines through. Erik loved it and had the leftovers for two lunches in a row. I will definitely make this again and look to Martin Yan for more new twists on classic meals.