Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saturday, April 18th - Earth Day - Vancouver Noodle Box and Poached Local Sole

Noodle Box
(604) 734-1310
1867 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC


3 on 7 Maples, maybe another half for comfort and fill. I would recommend. You get the take away in those cardboard boxes with the wire handle like in the movies. So kitch. Love it.


Coffee and Scones from Choices market. ... four luscious looking buttermilk, apple and cinnamon crunch scones to be exact. MMMM. My Saturday morning photo does not do it justice. I thought it was rich and buttery but D thought they were a bit soggy even though we heated them in the oven instead of the microwave. I reckon it's because of the apples. Still nice change from cereal or yogurt :-DPlanted trees, ferns, roses, flowers and grass at Jericho Beach. Planted some Columbines and grass with (or rather near) Mayor Gregor Robertson. Stopped to pick up some Expresso beans at 49th Parallel before lunch at the Noodle Box on 4th. They serve a variety of 'Asian styles' from Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese .... in large bowls heaped with sprouts, peanuts and cilantro regardless of which you order. The portions were decent. D thought they were average. I was working to finish mine. I had the Indonesian Spicy Peanut with Tofu and D had the Teriyaki Udon with Prawn. You can choose the heat rating. I chose third from worst, X Rated, though 3 higher than what they consider 'average'. D chose average and he thought it was a bit too spicy. I thought mine had it's pockets of heat but because of the peanut sauce which is creamy, didn't feel threatening. I thought the udon noodles were great but I thought the teriyaki was too sweet. D didn't. Course, I've never been a teriyaki fan. If I lived closer I'd probably be a regular.







I'll add more later. D is outside planting the herbs we bought by himself. I feel bad.



I made dinner tonight.



Poached Sole with Coconut and Lime with a side of Israeli Couscous



Prepare israeli couscous or rice as per package. Israeli couscous is so cool. The beads are the size of tapioca pearls. In the middle eastern shops you might mistake them for tapioca. I did. The package is all just arabic script and didn't know until I asked.



The cooking time will depend on the size of the bead. Some are smaller. The ones that come in branded boxes in specialty grocers like Trader Joe's or Draeggers or Urban Fare or Meinhart's. They're more predictable to neophytes like me who didn't grow up making it. But I bought mine at a shop run by and meant for middle eastern clientele not aware that it was sold in those branded boxes. Truthfully, didn't want to pay those prices. Like risotto, best to taste for doness. About 1/3 c per person, double that in Water. Season with salt and pepper. I like to toss in olive oil to brown a bit. Then add the water and boil for 15 minutes then let sit covered. fluff with fork.



SOLE



(for 2, about 150 - 200g per person)


2 filets of fresh sole


1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2 c sliced leek (optional, I had them in the fridge)

1/2 c thinly sliced carrot (I used my mandolin on the 1/4 inch setting)

1 c chopped green beans (I think I'll change this veg next time to zuccini or asparagus or .. dunno yet)

1/2 lime juice

zest of 1 lime

1/2 c coconut milk

1 c vegetable broth (I used a low sodium cube)

1 T ginger sliced (you can mince but D doesn't like ginger so I make it big enough for him to pick out)

2 cloves garlic (optional but I would urge you put it in)

1/2 t hot sauce (plain or asian, not chipotle)

1/2 t favourite curry powder.

FIRST, I recommend you chop all the veg. NEXT have the broth and coconut milk in a measuring cup ready. THIRD wash the fish and drain.


In a large skillet or sauce pan, sautee in olive oil the following in this order adding about 1 minute apart: Leek, Onion, Carrot, Ginger, Curry Powder, Garlic


Add 1/2 of the broth. (If' you've mixed the liquids then 1/4 of the liquid) cover and simmer for a couple of minutes only to soften the carrots. Don't bother with this if you don't mind the al dente carrots. I prefer them that way.



Add the green beans and toss briefly. Add all the liquids, including the lime juice and the hot sauce. Add the fish carefully and gingerly shimmy it below the veg under the broth. Cover and simmer on medium for 3 - 5 minutes. 5 was fine for the fish to cook through with the thickness we had.



Serve over the couscous. It was tasty, almost like a green curry really. It sounded alot more exotic when I came across the original recipe in a magazine. But basically, it's a thai curry. What I would say, it was super easy to make, which I think was the point. What I did decide is that I need to have fresh sole more often. The fish was great! (photo to come)



Dessert is some Almond and Cranberry Nougat we bought at the Gelato place on Venables I wrote about on Friday. MMMMM

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