Stir-Fried Soba Noodles With Turkey and Cabbage

- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes' refrigeration
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
- 2teaspoons cornstarch
- 1½teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
- Salt to taste
- 1½teaspoons water
- ½pound turkey cutlets, cut across the grain in ¼-inch thick slices
- ½cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1tablespoon soy sauce (more to taste)
- ½teaspoon sugar
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼ to ½teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1 to 2 serrano or Thai chiles, minced
- 6ounces soba noodles (2 bundles)
- 2teaspoons sesame oil
- 2tablespoons grapeseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil or canola oil
- ½medium cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
- 1bunch scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts separated
- ½cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl stir together egg white, cornstarch, 1½ teaspoons of rice wine or sherry, salt to taste and 1½ teaspoons water. When you can no longer see any undissolved cornstarch add turkey and stir until coated. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Combine stock, soy sauce, remaining rice wine or sherry, salt to taste and sugar in a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Combine garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes or minced chile in another bowl. Have everything within reach of your wok.
- Step 3
Cook the soba in a large saucepan and toss with 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Do not drain the water. Bring it back to a boil and turn the heat down so that water is at a bare simmer. Carefully add turkey to the water, stirring so that the pieces don’t clump. Cook until turkey turns opaque on the surface but is not cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander, then on paper towels.
- Step 4
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the wok. Swirl in grapeseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil or canola oil and add garlic, ginger and chile mixture. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add turkey, cabbage and the light parts of the scallions. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Add noodles and the broth mixture. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add cilantro and dark green part of the scallions and stir-fry another 30 seconds to a minute, until well combined. Serve, garnished with cilantro sprigs if desired.
- The soba noodles can be cooked up to a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. They will clump but when you add them to the pan with the broth they will fall apart. The stir-fry is a last-minute dish but the with the exception of the turkey (which needs to be marinated for 30 minutes), the ingredients can be prepped hours ahead and refrigerated, and the leftovers are delicious; they will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this for dinner on Friday night, and it was delicious and fast, perfect for the end of a long week. I scaled up the whole recipe because I could only get a 1-pound pack of turkey. Also, I think next time I would add some red bell pepper or shredded carrot to add some additional colour. I think a mushrooms could also be a good addition, or tofu as a substitute for turkey. So many possibilities...
Delicious but the wording is a little confusing regarding cooking the soba noodles and chicken. Maybe it's obvious to others but you need to take the soba noodles out of the cooking water before adding the chicken. My mistake but turned out well. Agree that some shredded carrots or snap peas would add a little boost.
Adding 1 tablespoon of Sambal Oelek makes this dish even better
I have never heard of the velveting method before and I don’t understand some of it. I do understand that velveting is used for tenderizing meat and that did seem to work. What is the egg used for? When you poach the chicken it all ends up in the water.
I also mistakenly added the meat to the noodles. Thought that was a strange way to prepare the meat. I made it with chicken and added sliced cremini mushrooms. Will make again.
Could you use chicken breast here also?
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