Vegetarian stir-fried rice vermicelli / 素炒米粉

Rice vermicelli is one of those things that is inherently gluten free, yet the risk of contamination makes it difficult for a Celiac patient to enjoy at a restaurant. Sure you can ask the chef to hold the soy sauce, but he has probably already used the same wok for dozens of gluten-rich dishes earlier. So, here is my version for a gluten free stir-fried rice vermicelli that is easy to make at home. Since the flavor in this dish comes from onion, garlic, and cilantro, there is no need to hunt for a gluten-free soy sauce. I use salt very sparingly to make this dish low-sodium as well.

Recipe: Vegetarian stir-fried rice vermicelli / 素炒米粉

Servings: 4 adult servings

Ingredients:
1 "bunch" of rice vermicelli*
2-3 carrots
2-3 celery stalks
3-4 wood ear mushrooms* (may substitute with portabella mushrooms)
3-4 medium sized eggs
1 onion
cilantro
minced garlic / garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil

Notes on Ingredients:

- Rice vermicelli is also sometimes referred to as rice noodles or rice sticks. The ingredients are rice and water. Don't confuse it with glass noodles/Chinese vermicelli, which is made from mung bean starch and water. Rice vermicelli is widely available in Asian grocery stores.

- Wood ear mushroom is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. It is thinner and chewier than normal portabella mushrooms. Dried wood ear mushroom is available in Asian grocery stores.


Directions:

If you are using wood ear mushrooms, rinse and soak mushrooms in cold water for 30-45 minutes or until softened. Wood ear mushrooms expand a lot with rehydration, so don't use more than 3-4 even if they look meager at first glance. If you are using portabella mushrooms instead, skip this step.

Boil water in medium sized pot.

Meanwhile, crack eggs into small bowl, mix well. Oil or spray a flat-bottomed skillet, then cook eggs as a thin omelet at low heat. Once omelet is done, set aside and let cool.

Take one "bunch" of rice vermicelli from package. Different brands pack vermicelli in different ways but generally they come in something like a compressed W shape. Break vermicelli at the junction such that you have two V shapes. One V shape is one "bunch" here. Do not try to break dry rice vermicelli anywhere other than at a junction or you will end up with bits and pieces of vermicelli flying all over the place (believe me, I've done it). Remove pot of boiled water from heat. Soak rice vermicelli in boiled water for 15-30 minutes or until softened.

Meanwhile, using knife or vegetable slicer, julienne cut carrots, celery, wood ear mushroom (or portabella mushroom), onion, and the egg omelet into thin slices. Mince cilantro. Using kitchen scissors, cut softened rice vermicelli so that the strands are about equal length as the vegetable slices.

In wok or large saute pan, heat small amount of olive oil on medium high heat. Saute onions. Once onion is softened, add carrot and celery slices. Stir fry until vegetables are half cooked.

Add in mushroom slices. Stir fry until the vegetables are almost completely cooked.

Add in egg omelet slices. Stir fry until well mixed.

Add in rice vermicelli. Stir fry until well mixed.

Add in minced cilantro, minced garlic/garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir fry until well mixed.

Serve and enjoy!

So Spicy You'd Die / 辣死你

This is originally one of my Mom's inventions. Growing up, there were actually two versions of the dish in my family: 辣死你 (literally translates to "So Spicy You'd Die") for the adults versus 一點點辣 (translates to "Just a Little Bit Spicy") for the kids. Here is my version:

Recipe: So Spicy You'd Die / 辣死你

Ingredients:

1 bunch of mustard greens
4 red chili peppers
salt
olive oil
dried red chili pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Wash and dry mustard greens. In large sized bowl, layer mustard greens and lightly sprinkle salt on every layer. Use your hands to rub in the salt to all corners. If necessary, break mustard greens in half to fit the bowl. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Take out the mustard greens. The salt should have extracted a lot of liquid from the mustard greens, which now appear a little shriveled. Drain the salty liquid from bowl.

Boil water in medium sized pot. Blanche mustard greens in boiling water. Take out the mustard greens and squeeze gently to get rid of any excess liquid. Caution, the vegetable may be hot from the water. You can wrap a paper towel around the leaves so you don't touch them directly. The mustard greens are now only half the size of their fresh counterparts.

Chop mustard greens into bite sizes. Wash and pat dry red chili peppers. Chop peppers. Keep all the seeds with the pepper pieces.

Heat up olive oil in wok or fry pan. Once oil is hot, add peppers. Stir fry till you can smell the aroma of peppers. Add mustard greens. If desired, add dried chili pepper flakes. Stir fry on medium high heat until everything is done.

Serve and enjoy! It works best as a side dish to rice and other entrees. My family enjoys it both hot and cold. Due to the salt and the chili peppers, the dish can usually be preserved for 5-7 days in the fridge.

Note: If you don't have the time or the fridge space for the salt process, you can use my mother's original method instead. She poured boiling water directly over raw mustard greens in the sink to shrivel them up and added salt separately in the stir-fry process. Just make sure your sink is deep enough that you won't end up splashing hot water all over yourself! When I was living alone in a studio, I had a tiny sink that could barely hold a colander, so I speak from experience (which was what drove me to develop the salt method!).