S’s Sunday Lunch

There was no swap this week.  We had to cancel since I had a conference in Maryland.  I brought Dave and the kids along and we spent a good part of the week down there.  After four days of eating out, we are now back home and (happily) eating in.

So in place of the swap, I’m offering a recipe for our favorite Sunday lunch (favorite for the last month or so):  Udon with Vegetables.  I’ve made this several different ways; below is the most basic version….very fast (so fast it could easily be a weeknight dinner) and much liked in our household.

Basic Udon with Vegetables

– 3 packs of Udon noodles (from local grocery store)
– 1 & 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
– 1/2 onion, chopped
– 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
– ~1 cup of broccoli florets (bite-sized)
– 3-4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
– 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce (depending on taste)
– Dash of sriracha sauce (optional)
– Good handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
– 1/2 lime

Directions: Cook udon noodles according to directions.  Retain udon broth. Heat oil and toss in onions, bell peppers, and broccoli. Sautee for a couple of minutes, add mushrooms and garlic. Sautee for a few more minutes. Add soy and sriracha sauces. Mix and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Toss in noodles, mix and then add 3-4 ladels of the udon broth (more or less of the broth, depending on how soupy you want the end product). Add in cilantro and juice from lime. Remove from heat and serve.

To make this with slightly more Thai flavors (mixing metaphors, I know), I tried a simple modification last week:  Replacing the soy sauce with a combination of soy and fish sauces and the cilantro leaves with basil leaves.  Worked liked a charm.