Noodles with carrots and turnip

Both carrots and turnip were in our CSA basket last week and needed to be used asap so I found this delightful recipe for a stir fry.

• 7 ounces noodles
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut across the grain into slices 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long julienne (matchsticks)
• 3/4 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long julienne (matchsticks)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil 

1. Cook noodles and drain. Set aside within reach of your wok or pan.
2. Combine the broth, soy sauce and rice wine or sherry in a small bowl. Combine the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes in another bowl. Have everything within reach of your wok or pan.
3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the chicken in a single layer. Season with salt and let sit for 1 minute without stirring, then stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, until opaque. Scoop out of the wok or pan and set aside in a bowl or on a plate.
4. Swirl the remaining oil into the wok or pan and add the garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add the carrots, turnips and sesame seeds. Stir-fry for 1 minute and add the broth, the chicken with any liquid that has gathered in the bowl or on the plate, the salt and the sugar, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles, reduce the heat to medium-high and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the cilantro and sesame oil, remove from the heat and serve.


The recipe called for rice noodles but I decided to use soba noodles instead, everything else I kept the same as what the recipe called for.

John actually put the stir fry together while I was setting the table and I warned him to go easy on the sesame oil and seeds because they add a little heat, since I am a wuss when it comes to spicy things. I look over and he is just dumping both in then adding a little more...

The dish was spicy, good for John but my mouth was on fire.