22, Jan 2011
House special noodles

Inspired by a bowl of “house special” soup at Green Leaf that included all kinds of stuff (in comparison to my usual favorite, the elegantly simple pho), we decided to make our own house special soup with whatever was on hand. This one came out pretty good, though if the base broth (a failed pho attempt) had been better, the soup would have been as well.

Ingredients

1 quart broth (pho broth, chicken stock, etc)
6 oz noodles (hand-shaved noodles, udon, etc)
6 Vietnamese meatballs
6 frozen dumplings, shumai, etc
4-6 medium crimini mushrooms, halved and sliced
2-3 bunches baby bok choy
green onions, thai basil, or chives, chopped
hoisin sauce, chili sauce
limes
sesame oil

Directions

Prepare the noodles as directed. Meanwhile, add the dumplings and meatballs to the stock and heat it over medium heat. Saute the bok choy in the sesame oil for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the mushrooms for a minute or two.

Serve by placing a serving of noodles in each bowl, topped by some of the greens. Add dumplings and meatballs, then cover with broth. Add a squeeze of lime, hoisin, and chili sauce to taste.