Mung Bean Noodles with Sesame Salmon

I had been itching to make mung bean noodles ever since I first ate them at the Meishi cooking workshop in the residence halls. It’s funny that I actually enjoyed the noodles, because I am generally not a noodle person. On almost any given day, I would rather eat rice or some other grain (like bulgur!) over noodles.

But hey, I took a liking to the noodles and added them to my shopping list. My first experiment with the noodles did not turn out particularly well. I used ground turkey and an assortment of vegetables that I had in the fridge, but I didn’t like the texture of ground meat with the noodles. Somehow, the two didn’t match. The sauce I made was also kind of bland. But I wasn’t giving up. Back to the drawing board!

Well, one random weekday, I was cooking dinner for my cousin and I, and I decided to experiment once again with the noodles. But this time, with salmon. Let me tell you, the noodles were a hit! Slightly spicy, great sauce, and I loved eating the noodles with salmon.

Moral of the story? Don’t give up if your first attempt doesn’t come out how you want! Keep trying and you’ll get there. 🙂

Portions: 1 hungry person!

Ingredients

1 4-6 oz salmon filet (portion for one)

1 bundle of mung bean noodles, cut in half (makes them easier to eat!)

1 cup spinach, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 zucchini, sliced in thin strips

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic

*NOTE: the veggies that I used were whatever I happened to have in the fridge. Feel free to mix it up and use whatever you’ve got on hand!

For the sauce

1 tablespoon tahini

2-3 teaspoons water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil (add this at the end)

For the fish

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon tahini

1-2 teaspoons oil

fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the tahini, oil, and soy sauce. Pour it over the fish, and sprinkle with black pepper. Cover the fish with aluminum foil, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat a few teaspoons of oil. Add the onions and let them cook until translucent (I always overcook my onions because I really, really, dislike raw onions. Feel free to cook them as much as you like!) Add the garlic, and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the chopped jalapeno, bell, pepper, and zucchini. Let the vegetables cook until tender. Add the chopped spinach.

Place the salmon in the oven, and cook for 10-12 minutes.

While the salmon is in the oven, cut one bunch mung bean noodles in half. (Trust me, cut them in half. It makes them easier to eat!) Follow the instructions on the mung bean noodle package — some need to be soaked in cold water, others need to be soaked in boiling water.  (The noodles I have need to be soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes).

When the noodles are ready, drain the water, and add them to the pan of vegetables. (Note: if you think that your noodles are not tender enough,  add extra water to the pan and let them boil for a few minutes). With the heat on medium-low, add the sauce and sesame oil while mixing the vegetables and noodles. Let the noodles and vegetables cook for about 5 minutes. Taste a few noodles and add more soy sauce as needed.

Plate the noodles, top with salmon, and enjoy!