Wednesday 15 September 2010

Ani Phyo's Korean 'stir-fried' kelp noodles with vegetables (Jap Chae)

I just made the most deee-licious dinner! Jap Chae kelp noodles, from Ani Phyo's new book
Ani's Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food
It was utterly gorgeous. This link shows her making a version of it on a TV appearance but it's a bit different to the one in the book- I think she's simplified it a bit for live TV ease! The one in the book (that I made) also has spinach, garlic and agave in it and the shiitake mushrooms and onions are marinated in tamari (or nama shoyu or braggs) for at least 20 minutes first. Oh it was amazing. Just like a 'regular' stir-fried rice noodle dish, only better!
I found a great way of making the noodles really soft too. When they first come out of the pack they're quite crunchy, and thin. I put them in a bowl of pure water with the juice of 2 lemons and a crushed clove of garlic and left them to soak and soften for 2 hours, which helps breaks them down. Then I rinsed them and left them in a bowl of warm water for another few hours (or do it overnight) and they ended up soft, fat and plump, mmmmm!
This dish is so quick and easy to make too, no equipment needed except a bowl, a chopping board and a knife! If you're new to raw foods, I really recommend you try it. Kelp noodles are not that easy to get in the shops over here but you can easily order them online, here's one place, Kate Magic's lovely site Raw Living and for this recipe one package serves 4. Go on, give it a whirl, you won't regret it!

3 comments:

  1. I just bought this 'cook'book. I'm excited to try kelp noodles but I don't even know where to look to find them. Do you think Whole Foods would have them? When you order them online do they come dry or packaged in water? Is the texture similar to a wheat noodle? I'm hoping my two year old won't mind the difference in texture.

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  2. Sorry one more question...how quickly do they expire? If I'm going to have to order them online I'd like to order big batches so I don't have to pay that much in shipping.

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  3. Hi Amy

    Are you in the UK? I haven't been able to find them in any shops over here as yet, so have always ordered online from rawliving.

    They come in packets, packaged in water and keep for ages while still sealed- I have a feeling the last ones I bought had at least 3 months til the best before date!

    The texture is similar to glass noodles. When you first take them out of the packet they're quite plasticy feeling, and thin, but after a good soaking in warm water and lemon juice they soften right up. They're also really good in a cheezy sauce, like spaghetti, I think I've got a recipe for that on here.

    Keeping them in the sauce for a while also softens them up, as does warming them in the dehydrator for a few minutes.

    I hope you (and your 2 year old!) enjoy them! Let me know how you get on.

    Karen x

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