Sauce:
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sesame paste (or 1 tablespoon each sesame paste & peanut butter)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or Chinese rice wine vinegar
a few teaspoons of chili crisp or 1 teaspoon chili flake
Noodles:
Rice noodles for 4 people, cooked til tender when everything else is ready, then rinsed and drained
The rest:
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon high heat oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons of Imp’s Umami Seasoning
3 cups of wild mushrooms
2 cups diced chicken (we used the meat from 3 chicken thighs and legs)
One red bell pepper, quartered and thinly sliced into strips
2 cups of snap peas, sliced into 1” lengths on the diagonal
Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a wok to a shimmer. Pop in the mushrooms, a teaspoon of the Umami Powder, and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until they are tender through. There may well be a little pool of mushroom water under them at this point, if so, put the mushrooms in a sieve over a bowl. You’ll use the mushroom juice later.
[Put the noodle water on to boil.]
Crank up the heat on the wok to medium high, add a teaspoon of high heat oil to the wok along with the snap peas and a ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, tossing frequently, until the peas have brightened and begun to blister. Remove to a bowl.
Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, garlic, and shallot to the wok and cook, stirring, until they are aromatic and the shallot has softened slightly. Don’t let the garlic scorch. Add the ginger, chicken, any mushroom liquid, and Umami Powder. Toss until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. If you have any doubt, be sure to check the internal temperature of the largest piece of chicken.
Toss the noodles with the sauce. Then add the rest of the ingredients and toss to thoroughly coat.
