Taste of the Rainbow

Tagliatelle "Udon" alla Rucola, con Cavolo Rosso, Zenzero e Mela

Udon Noodles with Arugula, & Red Cabbage, Apple & Ginger

You may be thinking that you might need to wear your sunglasses to eat this dish, but all joking aside, it is not a wild and crazy a concoction as may seem at first glance. It is made of everyday ingredients and has familiar flavors you will know and enjoy... but the colors ARE pretty impressive, aren't they?

Another vegetarian meal here, speedy and spectacular, full of vitamins, flavor and goodness and made in next to no time... as usual!  Using familiar flavors and ingredients, I set about making a meatless meal that would be interesting, unusual and fun... it really isn't as difficult as you may think! But I will share the method behind this madness with you to make it lighter still. I am actually a nice guy after all ;-)

The colorful topping you can see here is made or red cabbage, onion, garlic and apple. I grated the onion and the garlic and sautéed them briefly in a little sesame oil. I then added the diced red cabbage and 2-3 slices of ginger, which I chopped finely. I tossed everything together, added a splash of orange juice, a star anis, a teaspoon of 5-spice powder and stir-fried it for 4-5 minutes, whilst I brought a little water to the boil for the noodles. 

Once the Udon noodles had been added to water, I added some finely chopped apple to the cabbage, along with a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce and a little oyster sauce for seasoning... no salt in this dish! Next came a little orange zest and a squeeze of honey, a final stir, and the last 4-5 minutes at a low heat.

The noodles were good after 5 minutes and as soon as I had drained them, I returned them to the saucepan, added a drizzle of sesame oil, a little light soy sauce and a good handful of arugula. I mixed everything together well until the arugula wilted-down, softened up and took on a lovely deep green color and a sheen from the oil.

I I served the fruity and spicy cabbage on top of the noodles, with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds a last drop os sesame oil... mmm! Pretty breath-taking and totally delicious! So wear you sunglasses if you must- but be sure to give this a go! You won't regret it!