Cilantro Noodles

This is an adaptation of a recipe I saw in Cuisine at Home.  It's the perfect side dish for most any Asian meal.


Cilantro Noodles


Ingredients:
3 packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded
2 ½ tsp olive oil
½ tsp sesame oil
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Directions:
Blanch ramen in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.


Meanwhile, heat canola oil and sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallot and saute until softened, about 2 minutes.


Deglaze skillet with soy sauce, then add noodles, tossing to combine.  Add more soy sauce and/or oil if noodles start to clump together.  Stir in cilantro right before serving.


Makes 4 servings.

Really easy side dish.  You might notice that there doesn't seem to be very much cilantro in my picture.  I have been using it a lot lately (it goes really well with all the citrus dishes I've been making), so I didn't have the whole ½ cup.  Next time I will definitely use the whole amount, as I love love love cilantro.

I made this to go with my Asian Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Peanut Sauce.  The saltiness of the noodles balanced out the sweet of the meatballs perfectly.