Yaki Udon

I’m a bit late in sharing this challenge with you, since I made it about two weeks ago. The challenge was to make an Asian-style noodle dish that I hadn’t tried before. I had some udon noodles in the pantry, so I started from there. After doing some reading on Wikipedia, I decided to make yaki udon, which is a stir-fried, Japanese noodle dish.

Yaki Udon

To tell you the truth, this wasn’t such a challenging dish, but I did learn something new. Usually, when I stir-fry, I cook the meat first, then I add the vegetables. Last, I might throw in some cooked noodles, or I’ll toss it all on top of cooked rice.

This time, though, I cooked the veggies first, while I let the meat marinate. Then I added the boiled noodles. This enable the vegetables to get browned and tender, and the noodles to also brown a little, since there was no liquid in the pan. When they were done, I removed them to a plate and cooked the meat. I tried not to disturb the meat other than turning it once, so it would develop a crunchy, brown crust. Finally, I added the marinade from the meat and stir-fried until the sauce had thickened. Last, the veggies and noodles went back in to get coated with the sauce.

I think this made a real difference in the quality of the stir-fry. Every ingredient shone, and nothing was over-cooked. Although the sauce was evenly distributed, it didn’t turn gloppy. All in all, it was delicious, and a truly simple dish to make.

You can substitute any thinly sliced meat here (I used chicken). Scallops or shrimp would also work. And of course, any vegetables that you have on hand can be added. I like to slice the veggies thinly and on the diagonal for a nicer presentation and faster cooking. It is also good to add something with crunch for a garnish. I used raw bean sprouts, which provided just the right finish.

Yaki Udon

Serves: 2-3 people

• ¼ lb. chicken or other meat, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1 tbsp. ponzu sauce
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• peanut oil
• 4 oz. udon noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally
• 1 small red pepper, sliced thinly
• 8 spears asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
• mung bean sprouts for garnish
• soy sauce to taste

1. Combine the meat with the mirin, ponzu sauce, flour, sesame oil and sesame seeds, and set aside to marinate.

2. Heat some peanut oil in a wok or skillet until very hot. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until they are crisp-tender and beginning to brown. Add the noodles and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are brown in places. Remove to a plate.

3. Add some more peanut oil to the pan and heat until very hot. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and add it to the pan. Let the chicken cook, turning once, until cooked through, browned and crusty.

4. Add the marinade and stir-fry the chicken quickly until the sauce thickens. Return the vegetables and noodles to the pan, and stir-fry until the well-mixed. Remove to a serving dish and top with the bean sprouts. Pass the soy sauce at the table.

Hearty Asian-style Chicken Soup

This week’s challenge was to make a hearty-style soup, preferably with chicken in it. The twist was that it had to be a kind of soup I don’t normally make, since I make soup just about every week. My husband mentioned pho, as an example, which put me in mind of a hearty, Asian-style soup. That would be change of pace for us, since I don’t usually cook Asian-style dishes.

The result was an Asian-inspired soup featuring slivers of chicken, rice noodles and bok choy. This dish was a hit with everyone. My husband and I both drained our bowls, and even my toddler enjoyed the noodles. (He is not into soups these days.)

While this was a hearty soup, what really made it was the broth, which was packed with flavor. I didn’t have time to make chicken stock from scratch, as I would normally do, so I took some shortcuts. I think the result was just as delicious, and I may make this “shortcut” broth more often than not in the future. I began with Penzey’s chicken stock base, but you could also use store-bought chicken broth. To that I added vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. My house smelled terrific while it was simmering! But what really kicked up the flavor was the wine, soy sauce and tomato that went into the broth, which contributed an umami quotient. If you aren’t familiar with the term, umami is the taste of savoriness, found in such foods as tomatoes, soy sauce and Parmesan cheese. That’s why adding a little soy sauce or Parmesan can wake up the flavor of a dish.

The broth imparted its flavor to everything that went into it. Pho is usually made with beef, but we don’t eat beef at home, so I substituted thin slivers of chicken instead. I added rice noodles and bok choy to make the soup more hearty. One small, minced jalapeno contributed a background sensation of heat without being overwhelmingly spicy. A little lime squeezed over the top provided brightness.

This was a terrific soup. I should acknowledge Mark Bittman’s recipe for Hanoi Noodle Soup (in How to Cook Everything, Revised Edition) as the inspiration for the recipe, but I did make a lot of changes to it. I would definitely make this soup again, and the recipe is fast and easy enough to prepare on a weeknight.

For this weekend’s challenge, we are celebrating  March Madness with chicken wings — not something I cook very often. Come back next week for the results.

Hearty Asian-style Chicken Soup

Yields: 4 servings
Time: 1 hour or more, depending on how long you simmer the broth

To make the broth:

Begin with 8 cups water + 1½ teaspoons Penzey’s chicken soup base or 8 cups store-bought chicken broth in a large pot. Add:

• 1 carrot, unpeeled, roughly chopped
• 1 celery stalk with leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, unpeeled, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 canned tomato
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 inch fresh ginger, unpeeled
• 4 whole cloves
• 1-2 teaspoons five spice powder

Bring to a low boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

In the meantime, soak 1 pound rice noodles in hot water to cover until softened, 15-30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Strain the broth and return to the pot, or use a skimmer to scoop out the solids. Raise the heat a little to bring it to a steady bubble. Add:

• the soaked rice noodles
• ½ pound boneless chicken, cut into thin slices (You could substitute thinly sliced beef or pork, if you like.)
• 1 medium or 2 small heads bok choy, chopped
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, cut into small dice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• A lot of freshly ground black pepper

Cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the cabbage is tender, which should only take a few minutes. Taste and add more soy sauce, if needed. Serve with lime wedges.

Sesame Noodles: A Great ‘Use-it-up’ Dish

I have just added Sesame Noodles to my roster of dishes that I turn to when I need to use up leftover vegetables. This light but tasty Asian-influenced pasta dish is perfect for lunch or a supper side. It tastes good hot and freshly made or cold out of the refrigerator. And it readily takes to whatever veggies you can throw at it. To make it heartier, chicken can also be added, but that’s purely optional.

Sesame Noodles

Time to make: ~20 minutes
Yields: 2 servings

• ¼ cup tahini or substitute 2 tbsp. peanut butter and 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp. brown sugar (regular sugar may be substituted)
• ½ tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce
• 6 oz. Chinese noodles, soba noodles or linguine
• Enough vegetables for 2 servings, cut up for stir-frying
• ¼ lb. boneless chicken, cut thin or pre-cooked chicken (optional)
• Peanut or canola oil for stir-frying
• 1-2 tbsp. sesame oil
• Sliced scallions, cucumber and/or carrot for garnish (optional)
• Food processor

In a food processor, combine the tahini or peanut butter and sesame seeds, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar and chili-garlic sauce. With the food processor running, pour in hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a smooth sauce is formed. Set aside.

Cook the noodles in plenty of hot water until done and drain. Heat a small amount of oil over high in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the vegetables and chicken, if using, until cooked. Toss with the cooked noodles and sesame oil. Mix with the sauce. Garnish as desired. Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.

Hidden Moon Noodles in Broth

This Asian-inspired soup is called “Hidden Moon Noodles” because of the egg hidden among all the vegetables. It makes a hearty and filling main course.

Hidden Moon Noodles

Serves: 2
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 1½ oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
• ¼ lb. Chinese-style noodles or spaghetti
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. rice wine
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• ¼ head Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 2 eggs
• sesame oil
• fresh bean sprouts
• ½ tbsp. grated ginger

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes, until rehydrated
2. Boil the noodles according to the package directions; drain and apportion into serving bowls
3. Heat the stock to a simmer
4. Add the soy sauce, rice wine and sugar
5. Add the rehydrated mushrooms, cabbage, and carrot
6. Simmer until just tender, about 3 minutes
7. Break each egg into individual cups and slip each egg into the broth
8. Simmer until set, 3 minutes
9. Ladle the soup with 1 egg per serving over the noodles
10. Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil, bean sprouts and ginger

Notes: This recipe works best if you can get fresh Chinese noodles, which only require 3 minutes or so to cook. Check in the produce section with the wonton and egg roll wrappers.