Spicy Vegetable Chow Mein
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
Chow Mein
10 oz. (1 package) Chinese egg noodles
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 large carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 cup snow peas, strings removed
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Sauce:
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. lime juice
2 de arbol chiles, crushed
Instructions:
Cook the Chinese egg noodles according to the package directions, then rinse them under cold water. Drain the noodles thoroughly, then toss them with some sesame oil.
Heat a tablespoon of the peanut oil in a wok or large saute pan, just until smoking. Add the pasta and reduce the heat. Brown the pasta one side until it becomes firm and turns slightly golden, about four minutes. Lift the noodles up and heat another tablespoon of the oil, then brown the other side and set the browned noodles aside.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil and saute the garlic and onions. Add the remaining vegetables and saute on high heat until the vegetables are almost cooked, then whisk together the sauce ingredients. Add the sauce and saute until the vegetables are tender but still crunchy. Serve over the browned noodles.
Recipe from Whole Foods Market.