This delicious, salty spicy dish from the New York Times comes together quickly, making it ideal for a quick supper. Combine red-pepper flakes with soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook orange rind and peanuts in oil and then pour over the red-pepper mixture to create a chile oil. While you cook the noodles, cook ground chicken until browned and cooked through. Remove the orange rind from the oil, add the oil to the cooked chicken in the pan, add the noodles and toss to coat. Cook’s note: I used spaghetti noodles instead of udon noodles and chopped scallions instead of chives.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Make sure the red-pepper flakes, peanuts and noodles do not contain additives or preservatives. I used tamari instead of soy sauce and Spectrum Natural sesame oil. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) red-pepper flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) toasted sesame oil, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ cup (125 ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
- Rind of ½ orange, peeled into 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7.6-cm) strips
- 1 pound (454 g) ground chicken
- 10 to 12 ounces (285 to 340 g) ramen or udon noodles, preferably fresh
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) finely chopped chives
Preparation:
In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the red-pepper flakes, soy sauce and sesame oil. Set next to the stovetop.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch/30 cm) skillet over medium heat, cook the ½ cup oil, peanuts and orange rind, shaking the pan occasionally, until the peanuts are golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the contents of the skillet over the red-pepper mixture (be careful of splattering!) and set aside. (Once cool, the chile oil will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in an airtight container.)
Meanwhile, in the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon (15 ml) oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and press it down with a wooden spoon into a thin layer. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper and cook, without stirring, occasionally pressing the layer of chicken down, until the bottom is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Break the chicken up into small pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
While the chicken cooks, cook the noodles according to package directions, until chewy but not soft. Drain and toss with a bit of sesame oil.
Remove and discard the orange rind from the chile oil. Off the heat, add the chile oil to the chicken and stir to coat, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Top with chives and serve at once. Serves 4.
From the New York Times
