Quick Shrimp Stir Fry with Annetto and Garlic

Hello, everybody!! I hope everybody's keeping warm.
We had a little snow, and then freezing rain. We've only had one minor accident and four hours stuck in a pile up as hubby commuted to work... with no real injuries out of all the cars involved so we're off to a good start here in Eastern Oregon.

But, my husband took this picture and posted it on facebook with the comment "Ya comenzaron los estragos con el mal tiempo." Boy, howdy, yes.... But my comment was, "WHY ARE YOU OUT OF THE CAR??" First rule in a pile up (especially in the dark, on a windy road) is do not exit the vehicle! 

Posts like this shorten my lifespan. He also told me that the woman who sidelined him was turned around the opposite direction and sliding sideways (after clipping a semi) before she and hubby made contact. That was also information I didn't need. Can we hear it for some "lalalalalala"-ing? (Poor woman. She was fine. And I hope she drives a little slower next time.)

 So, anyway, moving on! This dish doesn't need a lot of ingredients, but what it does need is probably not something you keep in the cabinet (if you're like me). I saw something like this on youtube when I was researching Japanese cooking (my next book is set in Kyoto). I needed something that was simple, savory, and something it didn't take a genius to make.
Yaki Soba noodles from the refrigerated Asian foods section. I saw this in three different stores in our area, and it was always near the tofu, near the fresh produce. (Sauce is MSG free and seems pretty normal, not high salt or anything.)

 Ok, technically not Japanese, but this was how annatto powder appears in my grocery store. Some people can find it in the spice aisle in the usual little containers. (You can click the link and read up on it.) I learned that a lot of Hispanic food also uses annatto. It gives a warm, nutty flavor that's hard to define, but absolutely essential to some dishes, especially simple ones. (This was a revelation and I think I'll have to re-try several dishes I could never get quite right, because I think this might have been the missing ingredient.)

 Dried garlic. You can use fresh, but the recipe I saw on youtube was flaked garlic, and since this packet was $1.29, I figured I'd use it.

 Heat several tablespoons of olive oil and add a teaspoon of garlic and a teaspoon of the annatto powder.

 Stir over medium high heat until mixed together. From what I could tell on the video, you can add salt or not. I decided not to, since I knew the noodles would have flavoring.  Add about ten large, cooked, tail-on shrimp. The oil is already hot so this won't take long. We don't want to overcook the shrimp.

 Add in some thin slices of bell pepper and a bit of green onion. The garlic and annatto are delicate so we don't want to overwhelm them. I had some snow peas so I threw those in and stirred on high for about 3-4 minutes.

 The Yaki Soba noodles take about 3 minutes in the microwave. Think Top Ramen but not fried and dried. They're fresh, but have been sealed and then refrigerated. The "sauce" packet was already added here and it's also a delicate flavor, which smelled delicious but also wasn't too salty or too strong-smelling.

 If you use the entire Yaki Soba  package, there will be three large bowls of noodles or you can cook the noodle packages one at a time, saving the other for the next day for lunch. This was a great dish for those dinners when the kids wanted pizza and I didn't, or I cooked something that everyone loves but hubby. It took less than five minutes and there was enough left over for his lunch in the AM.

Over all, I'd give this recipe 9/10. Easy, fast, great flavor, looks delicious. The only thing that keeps it from a 10, is that you need all the specific ingredients before-hand. But it's definitely worth the effort and I'll be making it again. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everybody!