I received some black spaghetti for Christmas (colored with squid ink) and immediately thought this would go great with some Thai food!  Here’s the recipe that came to me.  It was quite tasty! (FYI – The pasta tastes the same as regular – the color has no effect on the flavor.)

Thai Basil Shrimp with Black Pasta

• 2 cups carrots, sliced on the bias
• 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut the 2” pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 med shallots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
• 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 2 tsp hot chili paste
• 2 tsp sweet chili paste
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 12 oz black spaghetti (or other pasta), prepared by package directions

1. Mix together fish sauce, both chili pastes, sugar, and vinegar and set aside.

2. Saute carrots and green beans in oil on med high until lightly browned on edges. Add bell pepper and shallots and cook until veggies are crisp tender. Add garlic and ½ of the basil and the shrimp. Saute quickly until shrimp are almost cooked through. Pour in prepared liquid and toss to coat.

3. Pour onto prepared pasta, toss, and serve!

To me, the difference between a good place and a great place is how they handle the simple things.  The traditional Vietnamese char-grilled pork sandwich (bahn mi), for example, is markedly simple.  French roll  buttered inside and stuffed with cucumber, carrot, and maybe some diakon mixed into a tangy slaw, sliced jalapeño, char-grilled pork, and maybe some cilantro.  Simple enough.  Properly prepared, a bahn mi makes you wish you had room for one or two more.  Improperly prepared and you hardly finish half of it.

Nobi has gone a long way towards tilting the scale towards a great bahn mi.  The bread is fresh with a crisp outside and a soft inside.  The grilled pork is well seasoned and cooked just right.  The veggie “slaw” (for lack of a better term) is fresh and tangy.  The sandwich has good balance and is definitely a great find for Galveston county.  While one might encounter better if one ventures into the heavily Asian areas of west Bellaire Blvd, this is definitely the best in the area and worth a regular stop for a quick fix.  My only request would be the addition of some cilantro, but the lack of it did not overly detract from the sandwich as a whole.

Nobi has a simple, but rather full menu for it’s location.  Located in a small strip center that is anchored by a Shell station, Nobi provides a fast food atmosphere with quality handmade fare.  Their iced coffee is good and, while I cannot attest to the taste of their entrees, the appearance and scent of a neighboring table’s lunch has me thinking about trying some next time.  Their shrimp spring rolls were rather plain and lacked the vegetables, fresh basil, and flavorings that I am used to in spring rolls.  I’d pass on them next time in favor of their egg rolls, which I would gladly eat my fill of if they came “all you can eat.”

Nobi is family run and has very friendly and helpful staff.  They are more than willing to answer any questions for those new to their cuisine.  While many other Vietnamese sandwich places have counter staff who, while friendly, have limited English and may be intimidating for an English-only patron, Nobi’s staff are very easy to understand and are not intimidating.

Stop by and support this great eatery!  Who knows, maybe with a little interest we can get Nobi to expand into the tapioca tea market?  (Nothing better than a bahn mi and an iced espresso with coffee jellies!)

Nobi Asian Grill

3640 FM 528 – in Shell shopping center at 528 and Blackhawk

Price:  About $3 a sandwich, 6.99 for entrees

Food Quality:  ****

Service:  *****

Ambience:  ***

Notes:  The best sandwich in Friendswood!  Buy two and save one for later!

Don’t get me wrong, I love the standard rotel-velvetta queso that dominates the queso landscape, but there are times when I want a queso that doesn’t come from a can and a box of cheese that is shelf stable.  So I went on a search for queso recipes with fresh and perishable ingredients to fulfill my quality queso urge.  Surprisingly, there aren’t that many out there – good ones at least.  The best I found was actually from a Texan living in New York.  Living in Texas and having some better resources available, I’ve adapted it a bit for my taste.

Chile Con Queso

Ingredients:

1/2 onion diced (about 1/2 cup)

3 jalapeno peppers diced fine

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 1/4 cup of milk

3 cups of shredded cheese, (preferred Queso Asadero or Queso Quesadilla.  You can mix with cheddar if you like)

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Salt to taste

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent.
2. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in tomatoes.
4. Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat. (Key to smooth sauce is adding slowly and allowing each batch to completely melt)
5. Add salt to taste.