Ingredients:

• 8-ounce bundle rice stick noodles
• 1 ounce dried shiitake or cloud-ear mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups firmly packed thinly sliced napa or savoy cabbage
• 15-ounce can oyster (shimeji) or straw mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups liquid from canned and dried mushrooms
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Direction:

Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Immerse the bundle of rice sticks and soak for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are al dente. When the noodles are done, drain them, place them on a cutting board, and chop in several places to shorten.

At the same time, combine the dried mushrooms in a heatproof dish with enough boiling water to cover them. Soak for about 30 minutes, then drain. Remove tough stems and cut them into thin strips about 2 inches long. Reserve the liquid.

In the meantime, heat the oils in a stir-fry pan or wok. Add the onion and stir-fry over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cabbage and stir-fry over medium-high heat until the cabbage is tender-crisp. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and stir-fry for another minute or so.

Use a bit of the mushroom liquid to dissolve the cornstarch. Pour the remaining liquid into the skillet or wok and stir in the dissolved cornstarch. Add the cooked rice sticks and toss the mixture together thoroughly but gently. Serve at once.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups snow peas
• 1/2 pound soba (buckwheat noodles)
• Sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups canned vegetable stock
• 3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
• Chopped cashews for topping, optional

Direction:

Heat the sesame oil in a stir-fry pan or wok. Stir-fry the onion and carrot over moderately high heat until tender-crisp. Add the snow peas and stir-fry just until they have lost their raw quality but are still quite crisp.

Break the noodles in half and cook them al dente. Watch them carefully, as they cook rather quickly.

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine. When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the stir-fry pan along with the sauce. Toss together. Cook just until everything is thoroughly heated through and the sauce has thickened.

Ingredients:

• 2-ounce bundle bean-thread noodles
• 2 tablespoons peanut or light olive oil
• 1 largess onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 heaping cups thinly shredded cabbage
• 2 heaping cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cup very fresh mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 pound firm tofu, diced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, to taste
• Dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt to taste
• Chopped peanuts for garnish
• Thinly sliced fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional

Direction:

Immerse the bundle of noodles in cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, then drain. When cool enough to handle, place on a cutting board and cut in several directions to create shorter lengths.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a stir-fry pan or wok. Add the onion and stir-fry over medium heat until translucent. Turn up the heat, add the garlic and cabbage and stir-fry until the cabbage is tender-crisp and lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sprouts and continue to fry, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are soft and the sprouts tender-crisp, another 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar, tofu, and red pepper flakes, and cellophane noodles. Cook, stirring, until everything is well heated through. Serve at once, garnishing each serving with chopped peanuts and the optional basil.

Pesto sauce:

• 3/4 pound fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
• 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons miso, or more or less to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 pound udon noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 doves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 green bell pepper or Italian frying pepper,seeded and minced
• 14-ounce can imported plum tomatoes with liquid, chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Direction:

Steam the spinach just until it is wilted. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible, then place the spinach in the container of a food processor along with the rest of the pesto ingredients. Process until the mixture is a coarse puree.

Cook the udon noodles until al dente. Drain and transfer to a serving container. Toss with the pesto and cover.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add the garlic and frying pepper and sautƒ over low heat until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes, olives, and black pepper and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir this mixture into the noodles and serve at once, or let cool and serve at room temperature.