Chicken, Edamame, and Udon Stirfry

As I told you a few weeks ago, I was recently comped a copy of Martha Stewart’s latest cookbook and have been working my way through it.  I promise to give you my impressions of the book as a whole soon, but in the meantime, here’s another winner of a recipe from it to follow up on her excellent chicken and dumplings.

Edamame and udon might be two of my favorite foods, so my attention was grabbed by this recipe the moment I flipped to it. I’ve also been meaning to add more “Asian food” (I hate saying “Asian food” – Would you ever say European food? – but it’s the easiest way to get my point across. Sorry, Asia.) to my repertoire, so this dish scratched several itches.

But most notably it satisfied my pretty ravenous hunger on a recent Tuesday. It’s easy to shop for and fast to cook, and the leftovers are great the next day. It’s a welcome addition to my wok, and another sign that M. Stewart knows her stuff.

You probably won’t believe me, but I actually made only one change to this recipe. Seriously, just one. My better half is actually a very open-minded eater, but he does have a few items on his culinary blacklist. Cabbage is one of them. I suggested bean sprouts, which have a similar texture, as an alternative, but apparently texture is the whole problem with cabbage in the first place. So bean sprouts were no solution, and I forged ahead without any crunchy ingredients. I was worried the final product might be lackluster without any crunch, but it was still great. So go for the cabbage if you like it, but rest assured that the dish can survive without it.

Martha says that you can use linguine instead of udon, and while I’m sure that you could, I’d really recommend getting udon if you can. There’s something about the texture that really sets it apart from Italian pasta; I don’t know enough about noodle-making to explain why this is, but it is. Buy udon.

And if you don’t like cutting up raw chicken, you can often buy “stirfry cut” chicken at the supermarket. If not, the butcher will usually be happy to slice up a tray of breasts or cutlets for you.

To accompany the stirfry, I made this salad that’s based on those “oriental” or “Asian” salads you see at chain restaurants:

It’s just mixed greens with mandarin orange slices and chow mein noodles. For dressing, I used Trader Joe’s sesame ginger, but any similar product will do. Though it’s not of any reputable ethnic origin, it’s a tasty salad and a very nice change from the endless parade of spring mix and balsamic vinaigrette affairs I make.

And that’s dinner, with a little help from Auntie Martha.  I was very pleased with the results, and the more I use this cookbook, the happier I am that she’s out of the hoosegow.

Chicken, Edamame, and Udon Stirfry

Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces udon noodles or linguine
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), cut crosswise into thin strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 napa cabbage (about 1 pound), thinly shredded
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, and rinse under cold water; drain again, and set aside.
   
2. While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch; season with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in two batches, until light brown on the outside and opaque throughout, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate (reserve skillet).
   
3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet; add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 1 to 3 minutes. Add cabbage, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
   
4. Add edamame, vinegar, soy sauce, chicken, and noodles; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until noodles and edamame are warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes.