Recently, the fruit bowl was looking decidedly sad. Only a poor, starting-to-become-dry lime left by its lonesome self. Rather than buying it some friends (that sounds so unethical somehow), I opted to find a use for the lime. Due to the state of the fridge and fruit bowl, juicing was not really an option. On the other hand, the storage cupboard was full of dried rice noodles, which was surely a sign that a noodle lunch was long overdue. And a noodle dish is an excellent place for a lime.

A few other goodies were found that would put their best foot forward in a noodle context: onion, red bell pepper, cabbage, kale, ginger and garlic.

Also, featured, but not pictured were: soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and chili flakes, and of course the rice noodles. But they all ended up in the wok together.

The final touch was a generous sprinkling of lime juice. Slightly sticky, nicely chewy noodles, tender veggies – everything sweet and sour and a little bit spicy.

Although noodle dishes are a frequent occurrence at our house, I sense that I still have room for improvement. I haven’t yet mastered obtaining the optimal stickiness or the complete meld of flavors that is what makes a good fried noodle dish truly special. Perhaps rather than winging it, I should consult a recipe next time. Any recommendations? What’s your favorite fried noodle dish, and how do you make it?