Tuesday, June 03, 2008

RECIPE ~ Fiddlehead Stir-fry with Cashews

It's fiddlehead season! I think they taste like asparagus, with such a whimsical look it makes them even more interesting with their short growing season! Available May, June, July here in North America. Visit Go New England for plenty more recipes!


A quick meal with lots of crunchy, colourful vegetables!

FIDDLEHEAD STIR-FRY WITH CASHEWS

2 cups fiddleheads*
1 cup snow peas, chopped in half
1 cup diced carrots (coins)
1 cup beansprouts
1/2 cup chopped brown mushrooms or sliced celery
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper and Tamari or soy sauce to taste
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish


Wash and prepare the fiddleheads by removing the fuzzy fronds and cutting off any dry ends. Boil in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse well. Meanwhile, wash and chop other vegetables, ginger and garlic. Heat oil in wok or sautee pan over medium heat and stir-fry the fiddleheads for 5 minutes, then add all remaining ingredients minus garnishes. Cook about 5-10 minutes until all veggies are cooked but still crunchy (you may want to cover with a lid). Serve with steamed rice or rice noodles (see recipe that follows), topped with green onions and sesame seeds. Serves 3.

*NOTE: This recipe would be great with asparagus if you don't have fiddleheads. Chop asparagus into 2-inch lengths, discarding the hard white ends, and steam for a few minutes to soften. Then add to the stir-fry along with remaining vegetables.

ON FLAT RICE NOODLES

1 package chinese or thai style flat rice noodles
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds


Add the noodles to a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until noodles are cooked. Drain and rinse under cold water, then add to a wok or pan with the hot oil. Saute for a few minutes with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. Makes enough for 3 dishes.

Adapted from the recipe by Violinist Rhiannon Schmitt (Salmon Arm, BC, Canada) at Fiddleheads.com

FOR INDIVIDUAL DOSHAS
VATAS cook all vegetables til soft throughout; add a pinch of chili flakes while cooking
PITTAS replace carrots with sweet potato (cut into matchsticks); minimize use of oil, ginger, sesame seeds and salt; omit garlic
KAPHAS minimize use of oil, sesame seeds and salt
CASHEWS are best avoided by Kaphas and Pittas; replace with almonds that have been soaked for half an hour to overnight (chop coarsely for this recipe)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks beautiful Claudia! Your fiddlehead posts have brought back fond childhood memories of picking them roadside.

Mansi said...

never heard of these before:) thanks for the info:)

Anonymous said...

Thnks for sharing this vegetable made recipe.

yana said...

Fran, if i am trying to balance pitta and get my vata down, would i prepare food as suggested for vata types, to lower it? or if not, then how..ahh help!

Claudia Davila (Fran) said...

It's always tricky trying to balance 2 doshas at the same time! Is there one that's giving you more grief than the other? I am Pitta-Kapha (in that order) and my Ayurvedic practitioner suggested that I follow a diet that is 2/3 Pitta-pacifying, 1/3 Kapha-pacifying, and add a dash of Vata-pacifying food for balance. You could do this 2/3 - 1/3 combo with your Vata and Pitta, depending on which is more aggravated at the moment.

So for this recipe, if you are trying to pacify Pitta first and Vata second, you could follow both recommendations (use sweet potato, minimize spices and sesame seeds, AND have all veggies well-cooked, but skip the chili flakes).

Hope this helps!

Lindsay I-F said...

i wish fiddleheads were still in season...i guess there is always next year

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