Food » noodles

House special noodles

mike — Mon, 09 May 2011 05:55:29 +0000

House special noodles isn’t a recipe so much as a general concept — noodle soup made with whatever happens to be handy, the more the merrier. This one was fortunately much more successful than our last attempt and will probably be the basis for future recipes. The vital difference was using chicken broth rather than beef — it seems easier (Cook’s Illustrated certainly think so) to make a tasty, flavorful chicken stock at home than a beef one. We had the soup with some fried chicken, which was tasty shredded and added in. Next time, I’ll add some poached chicken or other meat directly, though the soup is perfectly good without it. Shumai or wontons would also be good.

Ingredients

Soup
1.5 quarts chicken stock (1 is probably enough for two servings; 1.5 was generous)
12 oz thick noodles, as fresh as possible (e.g. udon)
4-6 medium-sized crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1-2″ ginger, peeled, cut in matchsticks
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce

For serving
1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
lime wedges
fish sauce
chili sauce (sriracha or sambal olek)

Directions

Bring the stock to a boil then decrease to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cook the noodles in the soup (e.g. fresh udon just needs to simmer for about 3 minutes), or prepare the noodles ahead of time and add to the soup for the last few minutes. Split between two bowls and add the white onions and scallions. Add lime, a dash of fish sauce, and chili sauce to taste.

Stir-fry noodles with chicken and broccoli

mike — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:09:08 +0000

I based this recipe off the general approach in our favorite pad thai recipe, but with a soy-hoisin base instead of fish sauce-ketchup. It came out pretty good, though the sauce could be lightened a little (maybe reduce the soy and hoisin, maybe add a little lime or something). The noodles also came out slightly gluey, I think from being thoroughly cooked and then absorbing all that sauce; undercooking them a little would probably help. I used brown rice vermicelli noodles, but using regular pad thai noodles, or thick chinese wheat noodles should be good as well.

Ingredients

8-12 oz brown rice noodles, rice noodles, or thick wheat noodles (vermicelli or rice stick style)
1 lb boneless chicken breast, trimmed of fat and sliced across the grain in 1/4″ slices
1-2 heads of broccoli
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2″ ginger, peeled and cut in matchsticks
2 scallions (or spring garlic shoots or negi green onions), sliced

Marinade (these amounts are really approximate)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/8 c shaoxing wine
1/8 c rice wine vinegar
2 tsp corn starch

Sauce
1/8 c soy sauce
1/8 c hoisin sauce
1/8 c rice wine vinegar
1/8 c water
2 tsp sugar
vegetable oil

Directions

Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl, until the corn starch is fully dissolved. Add the chicken and let marinate for 10-15 minutes. Prepare the noodles according to their directions, undercooking them slightly to prevent them from becoming too gluey. Rinse thoroughly with cold water, making sure the noodles do not clump. Separate the broccoli heads from the stems. Peel the stems and cut into 1-2″ matchsticks. Separate the heads into long, thin florets. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Drain the chicken from the marinade thoroughly. Heat a wok on high heat and add oil, swirling to coat the bottom and sides. Add the chicken and spread it out in a single layer along the wok bottom. Allow to sear without mixing for 1-2 minutes. Stir-fry the chicken until just cooked and remove to a plate. Add a little more oil and stir-fry the broccoli florets for several minutes and remove to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and add a little more oil. Saute the garlic and ginger briefly until fragrant. Add the scallions, the sauce mix, and the noodles. Toss thoroughly and let stir-fry for a few minutes until the sauce is mostly absorbed. Add the chicken, broccoli florets, and broccoli stems. Stir-fry for a couple more minutes then serve with chili sauce for heat.

Cinnamon Beef Noodles

mike — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:11:49 +0000

Another recipe from Asian Noodles, adapted for the pressure cooker. When it was hot off the stove, the broth was very good — spicy and cinnamony — but the next day it had somehow lost the edge of both of those flavors, which is funny because Simonds specifically says it gets better each time you reheat it. I really liked the general flavor and the combination of the meat, noodles, and spinach. The one thing I wasn’t that crazy about was the beef itself, since I’m not a huge fan of that beefy slow-cooked beef flavor. If I were going to do this again, I’d probably try to recreate the broth, but make it with different meat (perhaps adding something grilled to the broth, a la the kalbi in my Vietnamese rice and grilled pork soup.

Ingredients

Seasonings
6 scallions, cut into 1.5″ sections and lightly smashed
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 slices fresh ginger, lightly smashed
1.5 tsp hot chili paste
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp aniseed

Soup
6 c water
1/2 c soy sauce
2 lb beef chuck, trimmed of fat, and cut into 1.5″ cubes
10 oz spinach, trimmed, rinsed, and drained
1/2 lb flat wheat flour noodles, like fettucine, prepared, rinsed, and drained
3 tbsp scallions, minced

Directions

Heat the pressure cooker pot over medium-high. Add the oil and heat. Add the seasonings and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the water and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add the beef and bring back to a boil. Cover and seal. Bring the pressure up to 8lb pressure (first ring on a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker) and then let cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to dissipate. Uncover, skim off the fat, and fish out the cinnamon sticks and ginger slices. Add the spinach and bring to a boil. Put the noodles in bowls and ladle the soup over them. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.