Fiddleheads, a unique spring ingredient, are the young coiled leaves of the ostrich fern. Their name comes from their resemblance to the scroll shape on the end of a string instrument such as a violin or a fiddle. Fiddleheads are popular in North American cooking as well as in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and China.
As I have been experimenting with Asian flavors this week, I decided on an Asian fusion interpretation, and Jennifer from Savor the Thyme who has also been exploring fiddleheads has joined me in a co-post.
My recipe features noodles stir-fried with fiddleheads, Shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, and onions, flavored with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and hot chili oil. My family enjoyed the delightful crunchiness of fiddleheads in this preparation and thought that they tasted similar to broccoli. Overall, these flavors really came together, creating a delicious and spicy dish.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/3 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup red peppers, chopped
1 cup fiddleheads, thoroughly cleaned
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
3-4 cups of thin noodles (such as egg noodles, vermicelli, rice noodles or spaghetti), cooked al dente
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hot chili oil
Directions:
Heat two tablespoons of peanut oil in a wok or a large skillet until hot and smoky. Add mushrooms, onions, and red pepper, and sauté for about two minutes, stirring frequently. Add fiddleheads, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry for two more minutes. Add the noodles, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and season with salt. Pour soy sauce and hot chili oil over the noodles and the vegetables and stir-fry until the noodles are hot, continuously stirring. Serve immediately.
***
Please check out Jennifer's version of the noodles with fiddleheads on her blog here.
I would also like to thank Ann of Happy and Healthy Cooking for her lovely award.
NOTE (Updated): The problems with displaying blogs using blogger software in Internet Explorer seems to be fixed now. I have put the Followers box (which was the problematic gadget) back and everything seems to be working.
If you missed my previous post because of these Internet Explorer problems, please check it out - Onigiri with Tomatoes, Onions, and Bacon
