The Secret to Asian Pasta and Stir Fry Sauce

Many people think pasta is an Italian invention. In truth, it came from China and was brought back to Italy not by Marco Polo as popularly thought but through Arab merchants who traded with the Chinese. The Asian people have eaten pasta noodles for centuries, and they've invented thousands of delicious sauces to use on them. They didn't use tomato or Alfredo sauce but made them delicious in unique other ways. Try an occasional Oriental sauce on your pasta. The trick to making Oriental sauce low-fat, low in calories and delicious is in using combinations of 5 basic ingredients. They are
1. Soy sauce, miso, vegetable broth or vegetarian stir fry sauce for a salty savory taste
2. Vinegar (such as rice vinegar), umeboshi paste, or lemon juice for a tart taste
3. A little fruit juice, fruit puree, barley malt, or rice syrup for a sweet taste
4. Ginger, garlic, chinese mustard, wasabi, black pepper, chili pepper, or onion for a “pungent” taste
5. Arrowroot or corn starch, or if you can find it at a health food store, kuzu (also known as kudzu) which is a Japanese form of arrowroot. All are excellent thickening agents, and your Oriental sauce will ideally be smooth and slightly thick.
When your sauce is properly thickened, you can add soy sauce, garlic, onions, ginger, and a dash of sesame oil — maybe even some sweetener such as brown rice syrup, barley malt, or other unusual taste treats. This will result in a tasty, gourmet sauce for all types of other dishes.
Oriental sauce is especially tasty when mixed into mushrooms, especially shiitake (a form of Japanese mushroom). Other mushrooms are also enhanced, including straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and button mushrooms. Then add other vegetables to the mixture, using your own taste buds as a guideline. But if you really feel like some exotic cooking and you've never tried oriental, you're in for a special treat.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Try the following recipe and then tailor it to your taste. If Seitan is too hard to find, use tofu, tempeh, artichoke hearts (packed in water or vinegar) or simply use the instructions to flavor your stir fry of you liking.

Seitan (or tofu) Ginger Stir-Fry

1 Tbsp. Vegetable broth
1 med. Onion, finely sliced
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
1 med. Carrot, cut in 1/2" segments
1 C Bamboo shoots
1 C Mushrooms, sliced
1 can Water chestnuts (8 oz., 5 oz. drained)
1 tsp. Ginger root, finely grated to taste
6 oz. Seitan, cut in small chunks or thin strips
1 C Bok choy or Chinese cabbage, finely sliced
2 C Broccoli, florets and thinly-sliced stems
3/4 C Vegetable broth
1 tsp. Corn starch (or kudzu, if you can find it)
mixed in 2 teaspoons water
Low-sodium soy sauce, to taste
8 oz. Soba noodles, precooked (see package)
Boil water for soba noodles. Dissolve corn starch/ kudzu and 2 tablespoons of cold broth or water. Set aside to dissolve.
Heat vegetable broth in a large skillet over moderate heat. (Add water, if food begins to stick.)
Add onion and garlic, sauté until translucent. Then add carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, ginger and seitan. Continue to sauté until vegetables are tender (about 4 to 5 minutes).
Add bok choy, broccoli, and 3/4 cup of stock. Cover and steam until broccoli is slightly tender (about 3 minutes). Add more stock if necessary. Thicken with corn starch and water. Serve over warm soba noodles. Garnish with parsley and sliced ginger root. Makes 6 portions. (1 portion = 290.6 calories, 1.3 grams fat, 27% protein, 69% carbohydrates, 4% fat)