Chili-Mango Noodles

Most of my recipes come about by accident or chance. My favourite way to cook is to look at the items I have in my kitchen and come up with something new using those readily accessible ingredients. I was craving Asian food, but I didn't want the fat and salt to come with it. I started by recognizing that the craving was really for something sweet, spicy and indulgent. Set out on a pursuit to satisfy a craving without the guilt, this recipe came about and I had to share it with you!

Ingredients:

• Rice Vermicelli Noodles or Ramen Noodles
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Garlic Grape Seed Oil
• Basil Grape Seed Oil
• Fresh Garlic
• Himalayan Pink Salt
• Pepper
• Chili Flakes
• Chili Hot Sauce
• Frozen or Fresh Mangos
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• Protein Optional (Shrimp/Chicken/Beef)
• Fresh Vegetables
• Snap Peas
• Sweet Peppers
• Kale
• Shaved Carrot
• Mushrooms

Feel free to modify ingredients – it’s mostly about using the ingredients that you have or love. As for the flavour-infused grape seed oils, they are a staple in my kitchen, but you can use olive oil with extra garlic or fresh basil as a replacement. It is a little pricey, but it’s worth looking into buying grape seed oil for the benefit of reduced fat and better cooking quality.

Note: I prefer this recipe vegetarian, but if you want to include a protein, sauté the shrimp or meat in olive oil and include with the dish.

Recipe:

1. Sauté vegetables with fresh garlic and olive oil on medium heat.
2. In a separate pot, cook your rice or ramen noodles to al dente. I used 1 cup, but cook as much as you want or need.
3. Drain your noodles leaving a few tbsp of the starch water in the pot and dump the noodles and remaining water into the pan with your vegetables.
4. Add 3 tbsp of basil grape seed oil.
5. As you mix your noodles and vegetables together, add a few pinches of your Himalayan salt, fresh-ground pepper and chili flakes. 
6. Continue to pan-fry the noodles and vegetables together on low heat and add 5 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce and reduce to simmer.
7. In a separate pan, add 1 cup of frozen or fresh mango chunks with 2 tbsp of garlic grape seed oil and sauté on low to medium heat. 
8. Add 1 tbsp of thick chili hot sauce to the mangos and simmer on low until the mangos caramelize and thicken with the chili to a syrup-like  consistency.
9. When plating the dish, add your noodles and vegetables to a pasta bowl and top the noodles with your caramelized mango chunks.

This recipe is a decadent balance of sweet and spicy and  it is nowhere near as bad for you as takeout Asian food, so go ahead and have another serving.

Wine Pairing:

I had this dish with an off-dry Riesling and the result was noteworthy.

The residual sugar and overall weight of the wine complimented this dish flawlessly because of how the sweetness and oily texture coated my mouth to combat the spice. The umami characteristics in this recipe go well with the sugar and the mouth-cleansing acidity of an Ontario Riesling.

One of my current favourites is Charles Baker's 2012 Riesling Picone Vineyard.