Stir-Fry Thai Noodles With Chicken Meatballs - water

Method

• Pour water into a large pot, salt lightly, and bring to a boil.
• Peel ginger. Finely grate ginger and garlic, or mince. Thinly slice carrots into coins and slice red bell pepper. Cut broccoli into 3/4-inch florets. Finely chop scallions. Stack basil leaves and slice crosswise into thin slivers.
• Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into a small bowl. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, juice from the can of pineapple, garlic, and ginger. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• Put rice noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Carefully pour enough boiling water from the pot over noodles to cover, (discard remaining water). Stir noodles and set aside, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain noodles into a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and set aside.
• Soaking the noodles until they're al dente rather than boiling them cooks them more gently. They'll finish cooking in the stir-fry sauce.
• Set pot over medium heat and add oil. Pat meatballs dry with paper towels. Once oil is shimmering, add meatballs. Cook, turning once, until meatballs are hot to center, about 6 minutes total. Transfer meatballs to a medium bowl, cover, and set aside.
• Set pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Once oil is shimmering, add carrots and broccoli. Cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli starts to turn bright green, 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring every so often, until vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 more minutes.
• Add noodles to pot, toss to coat, and cook, tossing often, until hot, about 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce, three-quarters of the minced scallions, the basil leaves, and pineapple chunks. Gently toss noodle mixture a few times to coat everything in sauce.
• Return chicken meatballs to pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until noodles and meatballs have absorbed most of the sauce, about 2 minutes.
• Divide noodles and meatballs into serving bowls, sprinkle with remaining minced scallions, and serve.