Spicy Basil Noodles with Crispy Tofu, Bok Choy, and Bell Peppers (Recipe #75)

        There are always recipes that you love in a cookbook or hate in a cookbook. There are recipes that you will use all the time to the point that it wears out your book in that spot. There are also recipes that you try one time and decide that it is best not to make that particular recipe again. This spicy basil noodle dish falls under the “let’s not make this again” category. 

I thought the idea of the dish was interesting. Fresh basil, spicy jalapenos, garlic, and a savory sauce that comes together over rice noodles. I felt that the flavors of the dish did not fit with one another. I have been surprised with how a finishing touch with basil can add to a dish, but that was not the case here. I love rice noodles, tofu, and bell peppers. I did not like how the cooked bok choy came out in this. I also did not like how there was not a sauce. The sauce that you make ends up being absorbed by the noodles, rather than sitting on the noodles. 

There is one technique used in this recipe that I would like to try in other dishes. I processed jalapeno, shallot, and garlic in a food processor until it was almost a paste. The instructions then say to put the paste into a skillet with oil and cook off the water. The flavor of the paste was very strong and was felt in every bite of the dish. I love the idea of creating so much flavor that you have it in every bite. I never thought to process the ingredients until they were a paste. I learned a new technique with this recipe!

I am glad that I went out of my way to buy bok choy and the necessary ingredients. I know that this will be a recipe that I do not make again.

Taste: 7/10

Level of difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: I did not enjoy the cooked bok choy in this dish.