Mung Bean Threads with Sautéed Kale

I have been reading a lot of recipes with cellophane noodles, glass noodles etc. Since I don’t have any special stores that sells these noodles, I thought to settle with mung bean noodles since they are similar to the cellophane noodles. I bought the KAME brand mung bean threads and cooked the noodles according to package directions. (according to package – soak noodles for about 10-15 minutes in water, drain and use in your recipes.) Once I started cooking the noodles with veggies, I found this noodle to be a bit sticky and clumpy. I had to continuously separate them out with a fork and spray a little cooking spray now and then – just a heads up.

Ingredients:

2 oz mung bean threads
1 small red onion thinly sliced
4-5 garlic cloves minced
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil
7 oz firm tofu
8 oz fresh shitake mushroom
4 oz kale leaves
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoon sesame seeds roasted
Salt to taste
Cooking spray

For the Sauce:

1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon noodle stir fry spicy sauce/paste
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:

Prepare mung bean threads according to package directions
Drain tofu and cut them into about ½ inch cubes.
Slice mushroom into thick slices
Preheat oven to 350 F
Add cooking spray to a baking sheet and spread tofu and mushroom and roast for about 15 minutes
Tear kale leaves into small pieces and remove the middle stem.
Mix together sesame oil, stir fry noodle sauce/paste and soy sauce in a small dish and set aside
In a large skillet add cooking oil and once hot add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes
Add kale leaves and sauté for about 4-5 minutes
Add roasted tofu, mushroom, sauce, and noodles and cook on low flame for about 5-10 minutes. If the noodles start sticking to the pan sprinkle a little water and cook. Alternatively you and spray a little bit cooking spray as well.
Add crushed red pepper and season with salt
Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds
Yields: 2 main dishes.