udon with stir-fried peppers and onions

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
makes 4 servings

ingredients
1/3 c soy sauce
2 T sambal oelek (or your choice of chili sauce)
2 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 T honey
1 T sriracha
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 c vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into strips
1 tsp salt
1 lb. fresh or frozen or 12 oz. dried wheat noodles (such as udon, ramen, or bucatini)
sesame seeds, optional

directions

1. whisk soy sauce, sambal oelek (chili sauce), vinegar, honey, and sriracha in a small bowl to combine. set sauce aside.
2. heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high. add scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
3. add both bell peppers, onion, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and beginning to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes.
4. meanwhile, cook noodles in a pot of boiling water according to package directions. drain noodles, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
5. add noodles and reserved sauce to skillet. cook, tossing and adding reserved cooking liquid as needed, until noodles are coated and glossy. toss in 1/2 of the scallions.
6. transfer noodles to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining scallions.

source – bon appetit magazine, february 2023, page 25

have i ever told you how much i love noodles? any and all kinds of noodles… yes please ! i’ve always wanted to cook and eat udon noodles, but i’m not too familiar with how to cook them, so costco to the rescue ! i bought a box with 8 packs of noodles. for this recipe, i used 4 packs for our family of 6. i didn’t have to cook the noodles beforehand which was awesome. i just stir-fried the vegetables and then just opened the packs of noodles and threw them in with the sauce. it takes a little time for the noodles to soak up the sauce and break apart, but this was a delicious and very easy recipe which is why i’m adding it to the catalog !

you could add your own choice of protein, too, to kick it up a notch =]