A Taste We Have No Word For

"Mah" Is the way you say it in Mandarin.  In English...there is no word. The closest description is that it makes your tongue feel like it's tingling and swelling up inside your mouth.  That sounds awful.  BUT - it is not - it is awesome, and it was new - which is always fun.

This post is about bravery.  The dish follows the guidelines of stir-fry-what-you-have, with an added twist.  I usually spice my stir fry's with garlic and ginger, and that's what I did this time, but on the side, I added another veggie dish - spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. 

Bravery comes in when you grab something new to try that you have never had, barely recognize, or in this case, can't read.  I added the new ingredient to the separate side dish (so you still have your main dish if your experiment ends in disaster)  It was awesome, possibly better on seafood, but this vegetarian dinner benefited well from the "mah" tastiness.

Mah Veggies

Heat oil and spices in wok

(I chose sesame, garlic, ginger)

Add carrots

Add onions

(I chose red)

Add baby bok choy

Cook noodles or rice to serve

(I chose glass noodles)

Crush peppercorns

Toast sesame seeds

(use a dry hot skillet and toast until dark brown)

Boil potatoes 

(I chose purple, red, fingerling)

Mix potatoes with fresh tomatoes

Add a splash of sauce

(I chose ponzu, could be just lemon or soy)

Add toasted sesame seeds

Add peppercorns