Rice Noodles with Creamy Cashew & Edamame Herb Sauce
Nibbles & Bites: Issue #38: How to tinker with your recipes & a date caramel magic shell recipe!!
Hi all! Spring had sprung! Bring on the greenery!
This week I am sharing a recipe for Rice Noodles with a Creamy Cashew and Edamame Sauce. I wouldn’t dare call it a pesto, although the thought crossed my mind since it is filled with herbs and is verdant green. This sauce is something entirely different. It is flavored with a bit of soy, lime juice, basil, yuzu kosho, miso paste and made delightfully creamy with cashews and edamame. The key is to soak the cashews in some boiling water for about 20 minutes beforehand so that they’re soft enough to break down in the blender.
Mint would be an excellent addition to this luscious, protein-rich sauce, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find it anywhere. To be honest, I didn’t look that hard. So what did I do? I substituted, using a bit of parsley, some cilantro and a large amount of basil. The ratios of herbs can be tinkered and adjusted based on what you can find, herbs you prefer or what you have on hand. Adjusting recipes is the beauty of cooking for yourself. Sometimes a recipe is not meant to be taken so literally, and I find a lot of joy in improvising when cooking for myself at home.
This luscious green edamame sauce was so fabulous that it inspired me to make a second bright green, swampy sauce this week. This next one was a warm green mustard sauce that I served with sausages for the illusion of health. I blanched parsley, spinach, microgreens (no food waste here!) and blitzed them in the blender with garlic, tahini, mustard and some vinegar. Absolute perfection. These silky green sauces are giving me such a rush that I am aiming to make one every might this week. Tomorrow night, I’m making some herby hot-honey glazed chicken.
Last week, I also messed around with a Adeena Sussman’s tahini magic shell recipe and tinkered with it a little bit (there is a theme here), but kept the ratios in line with the original recipe in order for the shell to set when poured over a freezing scoop of ice cream. The ratios for the flavoring/sauce to coconut oil are 2:1 so you can play and adjust as you like as long as you ensure that you have half the amount of coconut oil to everything else. This is critical! I was a little fast and loose with my first iteration, which meant that the sauce didn’t solidify or crackle as intended, but my second iteration was much more successful.
So for my riff, I made a lazy man’s tahini date caramel consisting of 1 tablespoon of tahini mixed vigorously with 1 tablespoon of date syrup and a dash of cinnamon. I seasoned this mixture with a pinch of salt. I added 1 tablespoon of melted and slightly cooled coconut oil into the tahini-date concoction, stirring it until emulsified and viola! I was so happy to have a single serving of date caramel magic shell that hardened and shattered when poured over ice cream.
For my next magic shell exploration, I want to try mixing a bit of raspberry jam and coconut oil together for a fruity magic shell experience. I could see so many different iterations and possibilities. It’s truly enchanting, utterly nostalgic, yet slightly elevated, and I hope it brings you half as much joy as it brought me!
Until next time,
Kristen
Rice Noodles with Creamy Cashew & Edamame Herb Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb brown or white rice noodles
12 oz shelled edamame
⅓ cup of raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup basil
½ cup cilantro
¼ cup parsley
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tsp yuzu kosho
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ lime, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
⅓ cup of olive oil
To garnish:
2 tbsp peanuts, roughly chopped
1 small carrots, grated fine
2 tsp red pepper flakes or sesame seeds
2 sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped
Remaining half of a lime cut into wedges
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the edamame and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Remove the cooked edamame from the water and place under running water to cool. Reserve two cups of water while keeping the rest of the water in the pot at a boil.
Meanwhile, to the bowl of a food processor or blender, add the cooked edamame, soaked cashews, basil, parsley, cilantro, garlic, miso paste, yuzu kosho, soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, lime juice and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper. With the blade running on high speed, slowly drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil, followed by a few tablespoons of hot water in a small stream until everything becomes smooth and your desired texture is reached. Taste, then season with salt and pepper and adjust seasoning as needed.
To the pot of remaining boiling water, add the rice noodles and cook according to package instructions. Remove from the water and place in a strainer. Place the cooked rice noodles back into the pot, immediately drizzle with a bit of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Add the creamy cashew-edamame sauce and stir to combine, you may need to add a splash or two of water to thin it out depending on how much water you added to the sauce to begin with.
Divide between two serving dishes and garnish the noodles with lime wedges, grated carrots, chopped peanuts, red pepper flakes and a bit of cilantro.
