Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Noodles made of soy bean? Birth of a summer salad delight

Have you heard of curd noodles? It was my first time, hearing and seeing these noodles. Call myself a foodie... tsk tsk.

Curd noodles are also known as tofu noodles or soybean curd noodles. These noodles are made from compressed tofu (not wheat or flour) and packed with protein and nutrients. When cooked, they are non-sticky and not easy to break. Hmmmm...non-sticky...sounds good as a salad. Desperately in need, soaring temperatures to come. If you are keen and willing to give these "special" noodles a try, look for them in the refrigerated section of Asian markets. They are usually near the tofu packs and/or near fresh (refrigerated) noodles. YJ taught me an easy way to prepare the noodles, and I thought of sharing this with you as part of my "less stove-top cooking" project.

Curd Noodle Salad (can be appetizer or main dish)
Ingredients:
- a pack of curd noodles, blanched in boiling water, to soften and "loosen up" the noodles
- celery, washed/cleaned thoroughly and julienned to thin strips (Note: I use a peeler to help me achieve the "noodle-effect" in my celery. It'll be so much easier to enjoy the salad this way since the celery strips and noodle strands will not "segregate" on their own when tossed as a salad)


- some dried shrimps, soaked in warm water to soften, then chopped into small bits (Note: You can pre-fry the dried shrimps, or if you already have pre-fried dried shrimps, use them. But my objective here is to have less stove-top and oil-free cooking, thus I just use pre-soaked/soften dried shrimps)
- some sesame oil
- dashes of pepper
- pinch of salt, to taste


How to: Place ingredients in a bowl, toss and mix well. (Note: If having it later, you can keep in the fridge for up to 2 days)

There you go, a healthy, nutritious noodle salad...enjoy :)

Easy, isn't it? I would love to share this summer delight over at Presto Pasta Night.



Other cool delights this summer:
Chinese vegetable salad
Mango slushy
Lemon linguine
Gado gado-Vegetables medley in spicy peanut sauce/dressing

Embracing the soaring temperatures, you could also freeze some berries (rasp-, black-, blue-, olallie-), and when you find the heat too overbearing, head over the freezer for a berry icy treat (I did not ask you to open the freezer door and enjoy the cool air from there...:p).

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