What do you get when you combine four girls, a few pounds of soba noodle stir-fry, a couple dozen eggrolls and a pot-full of potstickers? Besides enough leftovers to last for days, you’re left with a feast that’s fun to put together as a group and even more fun to eat.
Here’s a glimpse at the menu some friends and I put together during a recent mini-reunion.
These egg rolls, stuffed with shrimp and veggies, received a quick dip in the Fry Daddy deep fryer for the ultimate Asian treat.
Putting pot stickers together can be time-consuming, but the end result is well worth the effort. The bok choy and mushroom filling was high on the health–and flavor–factors.
This soba noodle stir-fry was simply packed with veggies and bright flavors.
Pork meatballs later received a quick dip in a tasty peanut sauce.
There are a few ingredients that are easy to keep on hand to throw together an Asian-inspired shindig in a flash.
- Soy Sauce – I usually buy the cheap, low-salt version for cooking purposes, but might splurge on a nicer brand if I’m using it for an uncooked dipping sauce.
- Fish Sauce – For those with an aversion to fish-yness, you need not fear this sauce. It lends a deep, savory, salty flavor to your dishes.
- Sesame Oil – This is one of my favorite flavors; a tiny bit goes into most vinaigrettes I make. I keep my bottle in the refrigerator, as it tends to go rancid pretty quickly.
- Edamame – Perhaps the easiest appetizer around, frozen edamame can go from freezer to table after just a few minutes in he microwave and a liberal shake of salt.
- Wonton Wrappers – These are great for putting together the obvious (wontons), the similar (egg rolls, dumplings or potstickers) or the not-so-obvious (fried chocolate wontons, anyone?).
- Soba or Udon Noodles – I’m a noodle fanatic, and these are two nice additions to the repertoire. Udon are made from wheat flour and are white and super-thick. Soba are a bit more slim, made from buckwheat and are usually a shade of pale brown.
- Fresh Veggies – Cucumbers, red peppers, sugar snap peas and cabbage are my favorite veggies to throw into a noodle stir fry or mince for an eggroll filling.
Looking for some recipes to jump-start your Asian inspiration? Look no further:
I want to try the pork meatballs!!