Lazy Veggie Noodles from The Woks of Life
The phenomenon that is The Woks of Life—the Leungs, an entire family of food obsessives—has captured the imagination of cooks everywhere and this past Fall catapulted their book, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese-American Family, to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List. It’s a gastronomic feel-good story to flip through their book, each recipe touched by a different person with a particular angle and personality: Bill, Judy, Kaitlin and Sarah. I love highlighting Kaitlin’s ‘personal brand of cooking’ here with these nearly effortless Lazy Veggies Noodles that can be whipped up quickly on a weeknight with the added conceit that it’s pretty healthy for you, satisfying any New Years’ resolutions.
The phenomenon that is The Woks of Life—the Leungs, an entire family of food obsessives—has captured the imagination of cooks everywhere and this past Fall catapulted their book, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese-American Family, to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List. It’s a gastronomic feel-good story to flip through their book, each recipe touched by a different person with a particular angle and personality: Bill, Judy, Kaitlin and Sarah. I love highlighting Kaitlin’s ‘personal brand of cooking’ here with these nearly effortless Lazy Veggies Noodles that can be whipped up quickly on a weeknight with the added conceit that it’s pretty healthy for you, satisfying any New Years’ resolutions.
LAZY VEGGIE NOODLE recipe from The Woks of Life:
DIRECTIONS:
1 pound dried noodles, such as spaghetti or any Chinese wheat noodle
3 tablespoons neutral oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, or button)
1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper or black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups baby spinach or any tender leafy green of your choice
1⁄4 cup Chinese light soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil or to taste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Chinese dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add the noodles, and cook according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles and add to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the neutral oil. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring periodically, until the mushrooms are browned and slightly crispy.
Add the garlic to the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Add the skillet ingredients to the bowl of noodles, along with the light soy sauce, chili oil, honey, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and butter. Toss to combine and serve!
Reprinted with permission from The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family by Bill, Judy, Sarah and Kaitlin Leung. Order the book here.
