By James and I had our first real fight as cohabitants this week. Not about anything important ╬ôçö about the dishes. About whose turn it was to wash the cutting board that had been sitting in the sink since Tuesday. About the specific way he leaves cabinet doors open like a man who has never once considered that a cabinet door can also be closed. The fight lasted twelve minutes, ended with both of us laughing at the absurdity of it, and was followed by the best bibimbap I have ever made, because apparently rage is a seasoning.
The bibimbap was serious. Five banchan ╬ôçö spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, shiitake, zucchini ╬ôçö each sautΓö£Γîéed separately because bibimbap is not one dish, it is five tiny dishes arranged into a performance. Gochujang on top. Fried egg. The rice was crispy on the bottom from the stone pot I bought at H Mart last year and have been afraid to use until now. Tuesday night, pandemic, nothing to do, nowhere to go ╬ôçö the perfect time to finally use the dolsot. The sizzle when the rice hit the hot stone was the most satisfying sound I have heard in three weeks of lockdown. James said, "You should be angry more often if this is what comes out of it." I threw a dish towel at him.
Work is strange. The Alexa team is adjusting to remote, which for engineers means the same work with worse communication. I led a design review over Zoom on Thursday and spent half the meeting on mute because the audio kept cutting out. Senior SDE, four years at Amazon, leading a sub-team of six, and I cannot make my microphone work. The pandemic levels us all.
Saturday: no Bellevue. Instead, I made Karen's green bean casserole and drove it to their house, left it on the porch, rang the bell, stood in the driveway. Karen opened the door and we talked at twenty feet of distance. She looked small in the doorway. David stood behind her. They waved. I waved. The casserole sat on the porch between us like an offering at an altar, which is exactly what it was. Food as proxy for the hug I cannot give. The casserole as the embrace. The distance as the cost.
The bibimbap was the main event, but the week kept going — and after leading a Zoom design review on mute and standing twenty feet from Karen in her driveway, I still had two more nights to feed. I wanted something that carried the same spirit as that stone-pot rice: bold, a little funky, vaguely Asian, zero patience required. This Asian Spaghetti became my Thursday shortcut — the dish I make when I’ve already spent all my care on something else and I still need dinner to feel like it matters.
Asian Spaghetti
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
- 3 green onions, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, grated ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes until combined.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add carrots and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes until just tender but still with a little bite.
- Combine. Add the drained spaghetti to the skillet. Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the noodles seem dry. Cook for 1–2 minutes until heated through.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Toss in green onions and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust salt or soy sauce. Serve immediately, with extra red pepper flakes alongside if you like heat.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 62g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 680mg