I’m so excited to have partnered with The Book Club Cookbook to be a recipe contributor to their #BlendBash 2020! Bloggers, authors, and bookstragrammers (including myself)  will be creating special recipes inspired by The Book Club Cookbook’s Book, TV, and Song Blends. These are unique spice blends that take their names after all your favorite books, shows, and songs!

The Book Club Cookbook was kind enough to send me five spices, including Cayenne Take My Eyes Off of You, Sage of Innocence, Where the Crawdads Zing, and the two that inspired today’s recipe, A Song of Spice and Fire and Sesame Street.

These spices are seriously delicious. Not only do they make any dish stand out, but they also make incredible gifts for the foodie in your life!

I’m thrilled to kick off this recipe series with an easy Weeknight Udon Stir Fry. Not going to lie, this is hands down my favorite recipe I’ve ever developed.

There’s nothing like the magic of a chewy udon noodle, and it’s a great vehicle for all kinds of deliciousness. This easy stir fry means you can whip up this spicy, warm meal on even the busiest of days. As an added bonus, it’s easy to fry up any veggies or meat you have in your fridge that are about to go bad and throw into the stir fry for some extra yum. This is a recipe for one because, trust me, you won’t want to share.

WEEKNIGHT UDON STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS:*

• 8 oz udon noodles
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon + extra for garnish “Sesame Street” sesame seeds TV Blend
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 chopped green onion
• Up to 1 teaspoon “A Song of Spice and Fire” shichimi togarashi Book Blend**

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook udon noodles in a small pot of boiling water until separated. When finished, drain noodles and toss with sesame oil to keep from sticking.
2. While the noodles cook, toast sesame seeds in a hot pan over medium heat. Continue to toast until golden. Remove seeds from the pan and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce and brown sugar to form sauce mixture. Set aside.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over high heat. Once hot, combine ginger and garlic.
5. When ginger and garlic become aromatic, add sauce mixture, udon noodles, and ½ tablespoon sesame seeds to the pan. Combine well and reduce to medium heat. Stir occasionally and allow sauce to thicken, about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and mix in green onions (reserve some for garnish) and shichimi togarashi.
7. Plate the noodles and garnish with leftover green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
8. Enjoy!

NOTES

*This stir fry moves fast, so prepare all your ingredients by measuring and cutting before beginning the recipe.

**Amount of shichimi togarashi used will depend on your personal spiciness preference. This spice packs a punch, so a little goes a long way. I like to use ½ teaspoon for a good kick.