Mixed Metaphors

Pan-Fried Noodles with Shrimp and Thai Basil

No big Sunday post this week: Ann and I were both catering at Delaplane Cellars on Sunday, almost 600 portions! It was actually kind of a crazy week: we also did the food for the Glen Manor Vineyards vertical tasting this weekend too. Given that it was supposed to be 75 on Monday and we hadn't had any weekend and I wanted to spend some time with Ann, I was up before the sun on Monday and at the restaurant, powering through my Monday chores. This let me get home just in time to make lunch.

I didn't really want to cook anything involved, but was looking for something light, fresh, and simple. A huge bunch of Thai basil caught my eye at the market and from there it was just a matter of picking up some small (frozen, peeled and deveined, pre-cooked, if you must know) shrimp. Shrimp and Thai Basil (and its cousin made with squid) is one of the glories of Thai cooking. Dead simple and delicious.

Normally this dish would be served on rice, but I was looking for a one-pan meal with minimal cleanup, so I grabbed a bag of fresh lo mein noodles and fried them into a large pancake (chow mein style) which I topped with the shrimp and basil in a sauce of fish sauce, garlic, slivered chile pepper, lots of black pepper, and a touch of brown sugar. The frozen shrimp contributed all their water to the sauce as well.

So we ended up with a five-minute lunch that was half Chinese and half Thai and so what! It was quick, light, fresh, delicious, and there was but a single pan to wash. There's a lot to be said for not washing dishes and getting on with life!