To attract good fortune, spend a new penny on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon.--Chinese Proverb
On this last day of celebration for the Lunar New Year, we make certain we get a heaping helping of fortune, wealth, longevity, and luck with
Sesame Noodles with Lucky Greens
serves 2 as entree, 4 as a side
12 oz. packaged dried udon noodles
1/2 c chopped chinese celery, including leaves
1/2 c chopped bok choy
1/4-1/2 c chopped cilantro leaves, with minced stems
Dressing
the zest and juice of one whole orange
1 clove of garlic, crushed
one knob of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon of roasted sesame oil
1/4 c neutral oil (we used sunflower)
one tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
sea salt, to taste
Garnish
Gomasio, Furikake, crushed red pepper, or toasted sesame seeds, optionally
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, return to pot, add vegetables, and cover to steam (with heat turned off) for 5 minutes. Toss with dressing, garnish, and serve.
Chinese custom mandates that one does not cut noodles, as the longer the noodle, the longer the life. Japanese custom is to slurp the noodles, noisily. So have a noisy, slurpy-good time with this bowlful of bright, whole, freshly-flavored noodles, packed with healthy greens, for good fortune, and a long and happy life.
We served our noodles as a side for this popular Orange Sesame Roasted Chicken along with Pan-Roasted Baby Bok Choy in Oyster Sauce. We craved them, still, the next day, so a cold bowlful for lunch cemented our good fortune. A most auspicious beginning for this Year of the Snake!
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Maggie, I love a good noodle dish, and this one looks delicious! Perfect for Meatless Monday.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Jean, and thank you for stopping by! I eat noodles breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don't you love how EASY they can be?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great with the greens! And, if they're lucky, that's even better. The orange and sesame dressing is lovely too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. We need all the luck we can get, no? lol Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI love that I have all of those items (minus the Chinese celery) in my pantry so I think I will try this for lunch today. Thanks Maggie (Love the first proverb)
ReplyDeleteYou could substitute the 'greenest' of celery and some of it's leaves and get a close approximation of that flavor.
ReplyDeleteI had to do a little searching about that quote, and found that writing a friend's name on the wings of a dragon means to give a friend words of encouragement. Neat, huh? I'm glad you liked it!
Thank you for stopping by, and for always writing my name on the wings of a dragon!
Yum! This recipe looks terrific!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Seeing your little boy with blue hands reminded me how much I loved to fingerpaint as a little girl. I think I may have to get out some fingerpaint, again, soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!