Ready-to-Go Ramen

I am not a “routine” kind of person. Some days I like to go straight home from work and find a little relaxation by cooking (I can think of a few people who would say that cooking is the last thing they’d want to do after a long day at the office). Other days I can only muster up enough brain power to think of which Indian restaurant will comfort my sorrows.

I don’t shower only in the evenings (which is, apparently, very odd to my friend, Penny, who wouldn’t get into bed without a shower no matter what time she got home or how many late-night margaritas she may have had). In my college days of being the master of my own time, I’ve even been known to shower at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Some weekends I might sleep in past 10 am (gasp!) and by the time I’ve made a lazy Sunday brunch it’s suddenly past noon. But sometimes I might be bright-eyed at 8 am ready to start my day. You just never know, no--wait, I just never know. Sometimes I wonder if the routine-type folks are having a better time. Maybe they are more relaxed, more efficient.

I went to the gym after work and just needed to assemble something quick for dinner. Ramen to the rescue! Vegetarian, of course. No, not that instant package of squiggly noodles you can buy for 30 cents. At Nijiya market in Japan town (or other similar Japanese grocery markets), you can buy packages that contain a packet of soy broth and fresh egg noodles to make ramen at home. Yes, really! Nijiya's ramen packages are actually flown in from Hawaii, which really excites me and makes me a little less homesick for those islands.
I cut up some veggies and gave them a quick stir fry in a hot pan. Added in a soft boiled egg and some cubed fresh tofu. Boiled the fresh egg noodles for 3-5 minutes and heated up the broth.

INGREDIENTS FOR READY-TO-GO RAMEN:

1 package fresh egg noodles with soy broth
1 bunch bok choy
green onion, sliced thin
tofu, drained and cubed
enoki mushroom (or shiitake)
1 soft boiled egg (boiled for 5-7 minutes, cooled and peeled)

** The picture above was taken before I poured the broth over the noodles and ramen goodies.

End result: Delicious ramen to comfort your soul.

Vegan Fettucine Alfredo

Why are starchy carbs so comforting?! I don't have pasta often, but when I do, I like to try something creative. Since I have a rule of never having heavy cream on hand, I thought I might try out a vegan version of alfredo since I had all of the ingredients on hand. This happens often, I find, where I can easily whip up vegan meals using common ingredients I normally buy anyway (granted, there are all sorts of ingredients that vegans use that I wouldn't normally have on hand). I was surprised at its similarity in creamy texture and taste to traditional alfredo sauce, although I don't remember the last time I had traditional alfredo sauce. Maybe years.



VEGAN ALFREDO SAUCE
Reprinted from Lachesis' Amazing Alfredo Sauce
1/2 c Earth Balance
2 cups unsweetened soymilk
1 package Extra firm silken tofu (I like Mori-nu)
2 Tbsp. white wine
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
3 T.bsp arrowroot or cornstarch mixed in with equal parts of water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:

* Put all ingredients except for nutritional yeast in a food processor and blend until smooth.
* Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring often.
* Whisk in arrowroot/cornstarch mixture and heat until just bubbling. Do not let boil.
* Add in nutritional yeast and let the sauce simmer until thickened to desired consistency.
* Add in a little water from the boiled pasta if you want to loosen up the consistency.
* Serve over al dente fettucine noodles. Feel free to add in frozen peas or broccoli or top with parmesean and parsley!

**If you want to try a virtually fat-free version, try a recipe from my vegan friend over at Happy Herbivore.

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

I love noodles. I really do. Which is kind of odd because the noodle section here is quite lacking if I do say so myself. But there is always one day a year where my mom calls me just to say "Eat your noodles! It's for longevity and good luck!". What occasion would systematically and emphatically call--no, demand-- for noodles?! Chinese New Year. Actually, my mother calls me once beforehand to remind me to eat some noodles, and then she calls again the following day to ask if I did, in fact, eat said noodles as promised. She means business. When I was growing up, she also made sure to give us coins or a few crisp dollar bills in those pretty red envelopes with gold embossed writing on them. I loved these little red envelopes. I still love them.

This year, January 26 marks the start of a new lunar year, which is a pretty big deal in Chinese culture. It involves fifteen days of celebrations, family gatherings, parades, and, among other things, eating lots and lots of foods that have symbolic meaning for wealth, longevity, good luck and all sorts of good stuff that we all want in life.

When I was living in Sydney in 2006, I became fondly attached to this family-owned restaurant simply called Chinese Noodle Restaurant. If you are ever lucky enough to be there (and I really hope you are), the address is at 8 Quay Street, Haymarket, Sydney, 2000. It's a bit of a foodie institution, really. They are famous for their hand-stretched noodles and homemade dumplings. And for good reason, too! Their noodles are the best noodles I have ever had. in my entire life. They come soaked in various distinctive sauces that linger with you until you've flown thousands of miles away and feel a little pain in your belly if you think too hard about how much you want to eat those noodles again. I mean, I feel a bit weepy even as I am writing this. It is a tiny little space where people are constantly milling around anxiously outside waiting to hear their name called. And when you finally get in there, things move so quickly you will barely remember who you had lunch with because you are still shoveling noodles in your mouth when the bill comes and then you are tossed out so the next guest can have their noodles too. It's not a place to linger and have conversation. It's a place to eat noodles. Oh, I wish I had a photo of said noodles to show you, but even if I did, I am afraid my writing would fall embarrassingly short of an accurate description of the taste.

I lived in the Chinatown district of Sydney so the produce market offered countless varieties of fresh egg noodles, vegetables and seafood to inspire me to make some noodle dishes of my own. I made these simple hokkien noodles (egg noodles) during my time in Sydney, but I am sorry to report that I didn't use a recipe. It was an experiment that involved a hot wok, some fresh hokkien noodles, fresh prawns, bok choy, and mushrooms tossed around in a mixture of oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic.

I thought it might inspire you to have some noodles. Or maybe you might be brave enough to fight your way through the crowds at a nearby Chinese restaurants. Or you could order take-out. Either way, I hope you get a chance to have some noodles. My mom would be proud.

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Korean Noodles: Jap Chae

Noodlie noodlie! Who doesn't love noodles?!

There is something inherently comforting about noodles. I've had a long, long, looooong week and the idea of curling up with a bowl of warm noodles really makes me feel a lot better. Have you had a hard week too?! It's understandable, I hear you...well, I think noodles could make you feel better too!

Jap Chae is one of my favorite traditional Korean dishes because it is mildly sweet and I looove the slurpy noodles! It is traditionally made with strips of beef, but I just omit that to make a vegetarian version...You will be able to order them at almost all Korean restaurants, but it is so inexpensive to make that I needed to make a really big batch on my own...One of my favorite places to get them when I am visiting San Diego is at the very authentic Friend's House Korean (4647 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111, 858-292-0499). I highly recommend that place!


INGREDIENTS:

* 8 oz. sweet potato starch noodles (Dang Myun)
* 2 Tbsp. canola oil
* 1 small zucchini, julienned
* 1 medium carrot, julienned
* 1 small yellow onion, julienned
* 1 cup chopped cabbage
* 1/4 cup chopped green onion
* 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional garnish)

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:

* 3 Tbsp. Tamari
* 2 Tbsp. light sodium soy sauce
* 3 Tbsp. sugar
* 6 Tbsp. water
* 2.5 Tbsp. sesame oil
* 3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
* 3 Tbsp. mirin

DIRECTIONS:

* Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water for 15-20 minutes.
* Combine all sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
* Heat canola oil in a deep pan or wok.
* Sautee onions for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and cook for another 3 minutes.
* Add in zucchini pieces, green onions, and cabbage and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes until vegetables are tender but still slightly firm.
* Season vegetables with freshly cracked pepper to taste and set aside.
* Place noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside. The noodles will be slightly al dente, but they will continue to cook in the pan when you add the sauce.
* Return the wok or deep pan to the stove and add the noodles and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
* Stir in the sauce mixture and cook on high until the noodles soak up most of the sauce.
* Fold in the vegetable mixture.
* Garnish with sesame seeds.

Note: Sometimes I swap out the zucchini for watercress, mushrooms, or napa cabbage.

Love your noodles. Your noodles love you.

Furikake Somen Salad

I *adore* Japanese food: light. healthy. comforting. flavorful. artful and delicious.

Now, I completely sympathize with those who feel the confusion and bewilderment when going to an asian grocery store for the first time because there are sooooooo many unfamiliar ingredients and even if I could guess what something was by the packaging, I would have no clue on how to use such an ingredient. However, I am lucky that my brother married a woman from Japan so I have someone to help me sort through (read: explain) all the items I cannot read in the grocery store. As we came across about 50 jars of furikake, she explained that Furikake is a common table condiment in any Japanese household much like salt is a common table condiment in an American household. I picked a simple, traditional Furikake with just Nori and sesame seeds...but the possibilities and flavors are endless and I encourage you to explore the options....

INGREDIENTS:

* Somen noodles
* Iceberg lettuce, shredded
* Carrots, shredded
* Green onions
* Furikake
* Somen Tsuyu (Noodle soup base that is diluted with water to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

* Boil somen noodles for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water.
* Roll somen around a fork to shape little balls. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
* Arrange first 4 ingredients to make a beautiful salad!
* Sprinkle with Furikake.
* Put Tsuyu in a separate side dish for dipping or put tsuyu over salad as desired.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do...