Healthy Thai- Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro

I recently made the cover recipe from the March 2010 Food and Wine "Healthy Recipes from Around the World" issue.  The flavors in the dish were bold, yet balanced.  The cooling cilantro and fresh lime zest and juice offset the spicy crushed red pepper.  Also, cilantro and lime are great in the springtime--the sour juice from the lime helps protect the respiratory system, and the cilantro assists when you are congested.

I don't normally cook Asian food, but some of my favorite restaurants in L.A. are Thai, like Saladang, and Saladang Song (the two restaurants are right next door to each other).  Because I'm not used to cooking with Asian flavors, I stuck to the recipe (mostly).  Next time I make it, I'll add lime juice directly to the noodles (in addition to marinating the shrimp in it) to really make it zing!

This dish pairs great with a dry Riesling.  All of these ingredients can easily be found at Whole Foods.

Link to recipe on Food and Wine website

Recipe- Soba Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro
Total time- 45 min.
Servings- 6

6 oz. Soba Noodles
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2 large shallots, thinly sliced and separated into rings
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
salt
2 scallions (green onions), finely chopped
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
lime wedges, for serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring until tender, about 4 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the soy sauce, tamari, and agave syrup.  Add the noodles and toss.

2. In a skillet, heat one tablespoon of the oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to paper towels.  Add the garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to paper towels.

3. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan.  In a bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Stir in the shrimp and lightly season with salt. (If you are substituting regular soy sauce for low sodium soy sauce, you may not want to add salt here).  Grill the shrimp over high heat, turning once, until glazed and just white throughout, about 3 minutes.

4. Arrange the noodles on a large platter.  Sprinkle with the scallions, cilantro, crushed red pepper and the fried shallots and garlic.  Arrange the shrimp on top and serve with lime wedges alongside.