Squid Lo Mein

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I went about preparing this lo mein dish which, as I predicted, became brunch for my younger daughter and, by the looks of it, will be part of my older girl’s lunch. She’s entitled to sleep late. She’s taking the UPCAT tomorrow morning so she’s storing up her energy.

If you notice, there are three different colors of noodles on the platter green, orange and red. Vegetable noodles. Spinach, carrots, and beets. You can buy the dried variety in most supermarkets. You don’t have to use vegetable noodles, of course. The easier-to-find egg noodles will do. The recipe is very simple; the ingredients, are minimal.

In a bowl, sprinkle the squid strips with a little salt and pepper. Mix well. Cook the noodles according to package directions, making sure they don’t get mushy. Drain and set aside. Heat the cooking oil. Add the squid strips to the hot oil and cook over very high heat, stirring often, for about a minute. Add the garlic and onion; continue cooking for another minute. Add the peachy, pour in the oyster sauce, and Kecap Manis. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the cooked noodles and toss to coat each strand with sauce.

Teriyaki Udon

The name of the dish sounds very Japanese but I doubt if you’ll find teriyaki udon listed in the menu of Japanese restaurants. I sort of invented it last night because I wanted a low-fat meal with meat in it. You know, like making a statement that low-fat means neither meatless nor a total abstention from red meat. I bought lean pork meat a few days ago, sliced it thinly then marinated the sliced pork in teriyaki sauce overnight in the fridge. Twenty-four hours later, I used the marinated pork to make this noodle dish.

What’s that on top of the noodles? Nori. You know, the sheets of dried seaweed used for making sushi and maki. Nori comes in many varieties, some are flavored and ready-to-eat. I used kitchen shears to cut toasted nori into fine, fine strips and that’s what you see in the photo.

Cook the soba according to package directions. Drain. Douse with cold water and drain well. Heat the cooking oil in a non-stick wok. Cook the pork over high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrot and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring often. Add the cooked noodles, pour in the teriyaki sauce, and cook, tossing, for another 30 seconds.