Spicy Black Rice Noodles

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel the carrots; thinly slice on an angle. Cut off and discard the scallion roots; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Roughly chop the peanuts. Peel the radish; halve, then thinly slice. Cut off and discard the bottom inch of the broccolini; roughly chop.

In a large, high-sided pan (or pot), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the peanuts and half the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; immediately season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out the pan.

In a bowl, combine the radish, half the vinegar and up to half the sambal oelek, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. While the radish marinates, in a separate bowl, combine the soy glaze, tahini, remaining vinegar, ¼ cup of water and as much of the remaining sambal oelek as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the broccolini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add ¼ cup of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the water has cooked off. Add the carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the ginger, white bottoms of the scallions and remaining garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Turn off the heat. Reserving the marinated radish, stir the marinating liquid into the pan; season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the vegetables cook, add the noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Carefully reserving ½ cup of the noodle cooking water, drain thoroughly and rinse under warm water to prevent sticking. Return to the pot.

Add the cooked vegetables, sauce and half the reserved cooking water to the pot of cooked noodles. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until combined. (If dry, gradually add the remaining cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Turn off the heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between 2 dishes. Garnish with the marinated radish, garlic peanuts and green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!