Over the years, Mama Lin has loosened her grip on imposing these superstitions upon her children. She no longer calls me on new year’s day to remind me not to wash my hair. She also doesn’t need to know that I stopped listening to her 11 years ago . . . But the most important parts of Chinese new year’s traditions, red envelopes and food, still go strong in our family. At our table, you’ll always find a plate of stir-fried mung bean noodle dish with snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear, and whatever vegetables Mama Lin has around the house. I’ve added my own spin on the dish by using zucchini noodles and pairing it with a peanut coconut sauce. The sauce is dreamy, creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness. Seriously, I wanted to drink the sauce. Thankfully, the shred of dignity I still have kept me in check. But if you catch yourself pouring copious amounts of sauce on the noodles, I don’t blame you. No judgments here! 😉
MASTER MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES
Leftover sauce: If you have any leftover sauce, refrigerate it. Do note that the sauce will firm up because of the coconut milk. Just microwave the sauce for about 10 seconds, and you should be able to get it runny again.Zucchini noodles: For aesthetic reasons, I didn’t cook the zucchini noodles for the noodles. I do recommend stir frying them for a minute or two. I find that the sauce clings on to the noodles better when they’re slightly cooked. Season the zucchini with a tiny bit of salt, too.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment or sending me a message! Or take a photo of the food and tag me on Instagram so that I can give you a fist bump. I love seeing your creations! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to the Paderno Spiralizer and the Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler. I love using both tools to make vegetable noodles!
