Bento #32: Noodle Stir Fry

We looove this lunch.  It is a veggie and noodle stir fry with chickpeas in the top tier, and grapes and carrots in the back tier.  We did not get to eat this lunch until quite late in the afternoon, as Our students were freaking out about their final projects, and would not leave Our office so We could cram lunch in the royal head.  Sad, because this is a delicious lunch.

It is also a delicious dinner.  Here in the Sneaky Kingdom, We like to mix up a huge pot of something and then eat it all week.  Most often we do this for supper, but sometimes such a thing makes its way into the lunch menu.  Here is how We made this stir fry, which We ate all week long.  NB: you can put whatever veggies you most like into this.  This is just what We had floating around.  For example, this is highly unusual in the kingdom because is doesn't have some form of cabbage in it.

• 1 large onion, sliced into moons
• 1 box mushrooms, any type you like
• 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• About 1" piece of ginger, grated
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced or cut into chunks
• 1 bunch broccoli, washed, with the stems sliced into coins
• 1 package snap peas, pea pods, whatever's there
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 lb. noodles--soba, spaghetti, rice, whatever you like
• Your favorite soy sauce
• optional: Something spicy, like red chili flakes, Sriracha, Tabasco, etc. or any other flavors you like.  Chopped nuts are great--cashews, peanuts, etc.  The various black bean pastes can be nice, as can something a little sweet like honey and saké to take the bitter edge off if you're not into bitter.  Miso at this point can be really good too, as can curry flavors.  Throw in some interesting herbs like basil or cilantro.  Play around.

Cook the noodles and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat up your biggest wok or dutch oven and throw a little oil in the pan.  We used just canola this time, but if you have some sesame oil (Kingdom's out), a splash of sesame in with the neutral oil is delicious.  When the oil is hot, throw in the onions.  Let those cook a bit, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for just a few seconds.  Next, chuck in the mushrooms.  When those have started to soften, add the broccoli stem coins and the bell pepper.  A minute or two later, add the broccoli florets.  When those have started to green up, chuck in the snap peas.  When the snap peas are nicely crisp-tender, add the chickpeas, the noodles, the soy sauce, and any other sort of spicy/flavoring components.

This is a great one-dish meal--the noodles are a carbohydrate, the chickpeas provide protein, and there's just tons of veggies in here to provide vitamins, fiber, and to fill you up.  We love a stir fry (as our mild obsession with fried rice might indicate).  We think you could do worse for dinner.