Thai spicy glass noodles
Spicy glass noodles
Lotus Udon owns the Bodhi Tree Cafe in Chang Mai. It is an organic, vegan restaurant serving Thai and western cuisine. She also has a couple of rooms for rent above the restaurant and a yoga studio offering classes in everything from yin to acrobatic yoga.
Her place is located in the old city, a few blocks from where we were staying near Sompet market. We had a great lunch at her place and I noticed she offered vegan cooking classes. I signed up because I wanted to learn how she develops the depth of flavour in traditional Thai cooking using no fish sauce and only her homemade vegetable stock. Because she went vegan for personal health reasons, she is also reducing the amount of oil and sugar in her recipes.
She wants to share with everyone how great she feels eating plant-based food, so far it is working.
"When I cook with love, everyone likes it," says Lotus.
The spicy glass noodles are one of her favourite things to eat, adding the dish is popular with Thai people; often being served during special occasions.
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable stock - homemade or if purchased use salt-free
1 cup mushrooms (choose a variety)
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon mushroom powder
2 cups of vegetables sliced thin or shredded
1/4 cup tofu, cubed
1 cup glass noodles that have already been soaked for a few minutes and drained
1 teaspoon Tamari or soya sauce
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
1 to 2 fresh bird's eye peppers finely chopped
1/4 of a small sweet onion sliced
1 spring onion, cut into 1 inch sections
Two stalks of flat leaf parsley and coriander, cut into 1 inch sections
1 Roma tomato, sliced into quarters
1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
Steps
Heat wok or deep pan with vegetable stock - just enough to cover the bottom of the wok because you don’t want to over-cook the vegetables. Bring the liquid to a boil.
Add mushrooms - cook until tender and their flavour has been released.
Add shredded vegetables and tofu. Cook for about a minute, then add glass noodles. Toss and cook another minute or until softened.
Remove from heat.
Add Tamari, lemon and bird's eye peppers. These peppers are very tiny and hot, so add them sparingly at first to get to the flavour you desire.
Toss in onions, tomato, coriander and parsley.
Add sugar to taste - you may also want to add a little more lemon to find the right balance for your taste preference.
Serve on a bed of lettuce and/or toss in fresh bean sprouts.
Lotus can be reached on Facebook @bodhitreecafe2
Lotus Udon
"When I cook with love, everyone likes it."
