Garlic Noodles with Prawn and ManPans Wok Giveaway!
Growing up, we didn’t eat garlic noodles, but have enjoyed it since living in California from the famous Crustacean restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco who claims it as their signature dish. Buttery and garlicky, this dish has everything going for it by it’s sheer simplicity highlighting two very powerful and addictive ingredients.
Their garlic noodle recipe is a closely guarded secret by the restaurant which makes a big deal out of a “secret kitchen,” a kitchen within a kitchen where only family members can go into. This arguably is all well and good from a business point of view, but we’re all about sharing easy recipes that everyone can enjoy. So this is our rendition of garlic noodles. A dish of simple flavors must rely on high quality ingredients–fresh and abundant garlic and high quality butter. We use Frental beurre demi sel, a French salted butter that is wonderful and noticeably more fragrant than your average stick of butter. We use plenty of fresh garlic, finely minced, saving even any juices we collect. We like the simplicity of using thin spaghetti noodles and finally, we love this dish with large plump prawns and topped with fresh herbs to finish.
Garlic Noodles with Prawn
Yield: 2-4
Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients:
8 oz. thin spaghetti noodles
1/2 lb large prawns (16-20 size) peeled and deveined
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 ts salt
1/2 ts sugar
1 ts pepper
3 tbs garlic, finely minced
3 tbs French buerre demi sel, divided in 3rds
1 green onion, chopped 1 inch pieces
freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)Directions:
Boil the thin spaghetti noodles al dente according to instructions. Drain and set aside. In the meantime marinade shrimp with oyster sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, and 1 tbs of the minced garlic for about 15 minutes.
In wok with medium high heat, add 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs garlic. Quickly stir fry the prawns just barely opaque and half way done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove prawns, any juices, and garlic from wok and set aside.
Add 2 tbs butter and additional 1 tbs garlic to the hot wok. Add the noodles and quickly stir fry, tossing noodles to even coat with butter and garlic, about 2 minutes. Return the prawns to the stir fry and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the green onions, season to taste and transfer to serving platter. Grate fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Cooks note: Use more or less garlic according to taste--be careful not to let garlic burn. If you can't find French beurre demi sel, use the best quality butter you can find. Unsalted butter can be used, just adjust seasoning accordingly. Use egg noodles if you prefer, but we like the consistency of good thin spaghetti noodles.
A few months ago we happened to receive an eco-friendly ManPans 12″ stir fry wok and steamer set for review and thought this would be the perfect dish to use it on. From the exterior construction, the wok looks quite heavy—yet, that’s the most deceiving and remarkable part about this wok—it’s extraordinary light. This is really important because we’re always shaking and tossing food around rather then using a spatula. Plus, the handle is so cool..literally!
A second distinguishing thing we noticed when “wokking” with the Manpans was that food seems to cook much faster compared with our other pans at the same tempurature setting—a testament to it’s ability to transfer heat efficiently. In fact, the first time we used it, we nearly burnt a dish because we weren’t used to how fast and hot it heated up. This quality is quite ideal as you want wok at high temperatures for short periods of time to seal in flavor and juiciness.
Another great feature is the steamer attachment. It’s so much easier than to lug out our 3 tiered steamer. Great for steaming vegetables, dumplings, and even banh chuoi hap, a banana pudding on the fly. The holes in the steamer are small enough that you can even steam xoi~sticky rice in it without using any cheese cloth or muslin.
The wok performed masterfully with this dish, but don’t take our word for it. Hong’s mom (who’s been cooking since she was in middle school for her 8 brothers in sisters and the source for many of these recipes) came to visit from Michigan last week and tried out the wok and loved it. In fact she loved it so much, she actually took it home with her…
We’re sad we no longer have our ManPans stir fry wok and steamer, but we’re glad it’s in the very capable hands of Hong’s mom. However, we are happy to announce that in celebration of our 2 year blogversary ManPans will be giving one stir fry wok steam ($160 dollar value) to a lucky reader!
mandatory entry:
Leave a comment stating what meal you would cook for your mother in law (whether you love her or can’t stand her and even you don’t have one, just pretend) utilizing the the ManPans stir fry wok and steamer (we apologize, but only USA addresses only).
bonus entries:
1. Subscribe to our blog and leave a comment saying you’ve subscribed (1 entry)
2. “Like” The Ravenous Couple on Facebook and leave comment with your first name and last initial (1 entry)
3. “Like” ManPans on Facebook and leave a comment with your first name and last initial. (1 entry)
4. Follow both The Ravenous Couple and ManPans on Twitter and leave a comment after tweeting (1 entry) :
I just entered to win a Manpans Stir Fry Wok Steamer from @Manpans and @ravenouscouple! Enter here: http://su.pr/728sEg
Chosen by random.org, the winner is Alexandria B. Congrats! Contest ends in midnight pacific time Friday May 6th. The winner will be chosen randomly. Be sure you enter a valid email address, because if your name is drawn and we can’t get a hold of you within 48 hours, we will choose an alternate winner. Prize will be shipped to the winner directly from ManPans (to either you, or the recipient of your choice). Find out more about Manpans and their complete set of eco-friendly cookware on their site.
