Sweet Potato Noodles with Spicy Pork

 

You aren't going to find sweet potato noodles at your neighborhood store, so don't even bother. I order mine from Amazon.com and I absolutely love them. Besides tasting delicious, they are a really healthy addition to any meal. A serving only has 16 carbs...and they are the really good carbs as the noodle is pure sweet potato. While sweet potato noodles are prominent in Asian cuisine, I've found they are also fantastic coated with a red sauce and crowned with Italian meatballs. When cooked, the noodles have a great bite reminiscent of a perfect al dente semolina pasta.

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce 

For the Main Dish
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-1/2 pounds ground pork
12 ounces sweet potato noodles
1 bunch scallions, sliced into thin rounds
1 bunch roughly chopped cilantro (stems included)
1 bunch torn mint leaves (no stems)
1 jalapeño, halved, seeded and then finely minced
4 tablespoons chopped peanuts

2 limes, quartered for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dressing: Combine lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot of water. When water boils, add sweet potato noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Then drain and put noodles in a medium bowl. Add 1/4 of the dressing to noodles and toss to coat. Cover and keep warm.
3. Add canola oil to a large skillet or wok. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Add jalapeño  and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the pork turns deeply golden brown and crispy. Drain pork and put pork in a new large bowl.
4. To the pork bowl, add the scallions, cilantro and mint. Add 3/4 of the dressing and toss.
5. Divide the noodles between 4 serving bowls. Divide the pork/vegetable mixture between the 4 bowls, placing it on top of the noodles. Top each dish with 1 tablespoon of the peanuts serve with sliced limes on the side.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Grogs and Goldie, 1956