No Need for Take-Out

I made some teriyaki chicken the other day, as I often do. No real recipe--I just grabbed random things to fashion an Asian-style marinade: soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, brown sugar, grated ginger, minced garlic, black pepper, and a squirt of sriracha. But then I needed something to go with, so I created some spicy noodles that echoed some of the ssame flavors as in the chicken marinade. The zippy dish that I'm calling Firecracker Lo Mein turned out REALLY delicious, both as a hot side dish, and cold leftovers for lunch the next day. These noodles are super-easy to prepare, and tastier and cheaper than calling out for delivery!

Firecracker Lo Mein

1 lb. lo mein noodles

4 cubes chicken bouillon in 2 quarts water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced and finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, shredded
6 scallions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce, optional
squirt of sriracha hot sauce, optional
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Cook the noodles in boiling chicken broth for the time indicated on the package. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and stir-fry the jalapeno, carrot and scallions for a few minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and fry for another minute. Pull from the heat and add everything else except the cilantro.

Mix in the drained noodles until everything is well combined. Garnish with the cilantro just before serving.