Pasta is not only used by the Italians–remember that Marco Polo visited China and pasta was a favorite in China when he showed up. Since noodles are associated with a long and happy life they are always served at special occasions such as birthdays and New Year’s. These noodles can be served as an appetizer as well as with meats or roasts and the orange oil can be used in a variety of ways such as replacing unflavored oil in stir-frying.

Ingredients

For the Noodles:

• 1 pound thin egg noodles

• 8 ounces bean sprouts

• 6 ounces cooked pork, finely shredded

• 1 stalk celery, diagonally cut

• 2 carrots, diagonally cut

• 6 green onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup Chile Orange Oil, recipe below

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1/4 cup cashew nuts

For the Orange Oil:

• 2 cups peanut oil

• 6 to 8 japones chiles, or substitute other small dried red chiles

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• Zest of 2 oranges, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon Chinese black bean paste (available in Asian markets)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

For the Noodles:

In a large kettle, heat 4 quarts of water until boiling, add the noodles and cook until done. Remove the noodles and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat additional water in the kettle until very hot but not boiling. Blanch the bean sprouts for 10 seconds in hot water. Remove and plunge the sprouts in cold water to stop the cooking process.

To make the dressing, combine the chile oil, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl and blend well. Toss the noodles in ½ of the dressing and place them on a large serving platter.

Toss the bean sprouts, pork, celery, carrots, and onions with the remaining dressing and heap on the noodles. Garnish with the cilantro and cashews and serve.

For the Orange Oil:

Heat the oil in a wok or heavy skilled until a chile will “sputter” when dropped in the oil. Combine all the remaining ingredients, add to the oil, and simmer for 5 minutes, being very careful not to let any ingredients burn.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the oil to steep overnight. Strain the oil before using.

I’ve substituted shrimp for the prawns in this dish as they are more available and less expensive. And after all, prawns are just really big shrimp. Since they signify good fortune and happiness they are usually included in a traditional New Year’s feast. If you want to increase the heat, use either small dried red chiles or crushed chiles as increasing the chile paste will change the flavor of the dish.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, peanut preferred

• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided

• 1 cup snow peas

• 3 jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed, sliced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

• ½ cup rice vinegar

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1 tablespoon Asian chili paste (available in Asian markets)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

In a wok or heavy skillet, heat the vegetable oil and half the sesame oil until very hot. Add the snow peas and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove the peas and pour off all but a teaspoon of the oil.

Add the remaining sesame oil and heat. Add the jalapeños and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and fry until the shrimp turns pink, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp and keep warm.

Combine the vinegar, ketchup, chili paste, sugar and cornstarch together and mix to blend.

Raise the heat under the wok, and pour in the vinegar blend. Heat the sauce, stirring constantly until it thickens. Lower the heat, add the mushrooms, return the shrimp and peas to the wok, and heat through.

Serve the shrimp in a bowl accompanied by the white rice.

This recipe and others can be found in the following article:

Mascarene Chile Cuisine

 

By Dave DeWitt

Ingredients

• 2 cups dal (dried split peas)

• 2 red or green jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, minced

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

• ½ teaspoon powdered cumin

• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Wash the dal in a colander, then place it in a bowl and cover with three times as much volume of water. Allow to soak for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Drain the dal and place half of it in a blend and process to a fine consistency. Remove from the blender with a spatula and place in a bowl. Place the remaining dal in a blender and process to a medium consistency. Remove to the same bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix well

Form the mixture into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter.

Heat the oil in a pan until hot and deep fry the balls until they are golden brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Serve them hot