Tomato Basil Noodle Bowl

We've had the great pleasure of being invited to various meals at the homes of our Korean friends lately and I'm continually finding myself being inspired to try out ingredients that are common in Korea and food preperation methods that also seem relatively specific to Korea.

The other night, my friend served us a bowl of cold noodle soup with water kimchi. She explained it's kind of a common and quick dish in many Korean homes - simply boil noodles (I'm not sure about this specific kind of noodle...it's a common noodle in Korea, a little like spaghetti meets ramen). Anyway, once the noodles are drained, you place them in a bowl and then spoon over the top some broth or in the case of water kimchi, you spoon in some kimchi and the liquid portion of the kimchi.

I like noodle bowls. Spooning a broth of already prepared noodles, it's just nice.

Ingredients/Directions:

Prepare adequate amount of Korean noodles or ramen per individual being served. In seperate sauce pan, heat up chicken broth with any desired spices (salt, pepper, garlic, onion, etc.) Drain noodles and divide amongst the bowls. Tear a few fresh leaves of basil into each bowl, slice of chop tomatos and add to bowls, spoon broth into bowl, top with fried egg and grated parmesan if desired.

Asian Mushroom and Noodle Soup

Using this Food Network recipe as my starting point I threw together this Mushroom Noodle soup just a few nights ago. As is common in my personal cooking adventures, I made some adjustments based on what was available in my home and on what I was and wasn't willing to go to the store to purchase.

For example, I wanted to add Udon noodles. I had only a single person serving of said noodles. Regardless, I wanted noodles, but not a walk to the grocery store. So the resulting recipe featers a serving of udon noodles mixed with a serving of Ramen noodles, not necessarially 'ideal' or 'beautiful' but edible and fine and why not? Why not cook in such a way that allows us to be creative and lazy at the same time. The dish was nourishing and tasteful, all that matters after a long days work.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a large pot heat 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil and saute 3-4 sliced or minced Garlic Cloves and 1 tsp. ground Ginger until fragrant and lightly browned. Add 2 qts. Broth or Tea (I'd recommend black or green or a hearty herb tea if you happen to have one), 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce and 2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce (the udon I purchase comes with it's own sauce packets, I throw that in the pot and add soy and fish sauce per taste). Bring the stock to boil while you prepare any combination of 3-5 cups of mushrooms you fancy (I can give details on my own because I frankly don't know, one is thin, white and squeaky on the teeth, one is quite plump and some were dried). Simmer for about 15 minutes before adding choice or combination of noodles (udon or ramen) and continue to simmer 2-3 minutes until noodles are soft. If you'd like to add a bit of protien, whisk 2-3 eggs and slowly drizzle mixture into the simmering pot, let simmer with out stirring for 1-2 minutes. Stir, ensure eggs and noodles are cooked properly. Serve hot with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds!

Udon with 'Poached' Egg and Veggies

This was uh-mazing. And easy.
Pinterest Inspired.
Original Recipe here - from the Kitchn

Ingredients/Directions:

2 cups of water per Udon Noodle package -- if you're using the one such as that pictured in the bottom right of the above collage. Bring water to a boil then add Udon Noodles, cook 3-4 minutes or until near done. Throw in chopped cabbage, cover with a lid and let cabbage cook/steam for 1-2 minutes.  Mix in sauce packets from Udon Noodle package (soy and such) then carefully put a raw egg (in this case 2) into the boiling water, let it cook until set, dish into bowls, sprinkle on some green onion and enjoy!

Jap-chae: Korean Stir-fried Noodles and Veggies

All you really need to know about Korean cooking can be learned from one woman...that is Maangchi. She is my number one go-to regarding Korean foods since she is a) Korean, b) quarky and c) speaks English. Additionally, she not only posts recipes for dishes with lots of pictures, but almost always includes a video, which is just nice...perhaps someday I'll go live on YouTube with my cooking skills! (HA!)

One of my all-time-favorite Korean dishes is Japchae. The dish is made with sweet potato (also called starch or glass noodles), a ton of veggies and a simple sauce of soy sauce and sesame seeds.

There's a ton of veggies in this dish and the meat called for can easily be substituted or simply left out for a more vegetarian friendly option.

I realize the polite thing to do would be to re-iterate the recipe here, but I really, REALLY want you to meet Maangchi, because she's a blast, so here's the japchae recipe and a bit of Maangchi herself!

FAB Peanut Butter noodles

The best summer dinners, in my opinion, are those you can make ahead, include fresh veggies and are adequately filling, this dish meets the criteria and is worth the small bit of effort required. I discovered this recipe at this hip little blogspot  (courtesy of Pinterest) and hope you'll give it a go!

Ingredients/Directions:

Prepare 8 oz. of noodles, udon, egg, wheat spaghetti/linguine anything really, although udon or soba are recommended.

In a food processor mix together: 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter, 1/2 cup Warm Water, 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp. minced Ginger, 4 Garlic Cloves, 1 Tbsp. Honey and a dash of Rice Vinegar.

Use a gloved hand to mix the noodles with sauce and your choice of fresh veg - I went with cucumber, red bell and tomato and was more than satisfied. Sprinkle some black and/or white sesame seeds on top and you've got the perfect summer snack or light dinner!

Spicy Sesame Noodles

From Fresh from the Oven's adaptation of a

July 2007 Bon Appetit Recipe comes the

519 Rendition of:

Spicy Sesame Noodles

Ingredients/Directions:

In 1 tablespoon peanut oil saute 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger and 2-4 garlic cloves, minced. Transfer to large bowl and add the following: 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon (or more) hot chili oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

Prepare 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or other fresh noodle. Run under cold water and add to sauce. Top noodles with 12 green onions (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced. Let set one hour at room temperature and serve with 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts and 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh Thai basil leaves.

Enjoy with Thai Tea on a warm spring day or save the recipe for warmer summer days!

Beef and Noodle Soup

Using Leftovers from: Slow-Cooker Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew

Having the opportunity to play around with leftovers is one of my great joys. Having a few cups of the Guinness Stew leftover was a huge blessing. Into a stovetop pot I threw some water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and salt as well as 2 Potatoes, diced and half of a Carrot, diced - brought the whole thing to a boil, added the leftover Guinness Stew and some noodles, cooked the whole thing until the noodles were tender and once again we were eating a delcious and fabulous dinner!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Having used the left-overs of Love-Day Rotiesserie Chicken to make Chicken Broth I had ample amounts of tender chicken meat and some additional broth that didn't make it into the freezer. Without hesitation, and with hopes of 'curing' an ailing husband of mine, I set about to concocting a bit of Chicken Noodle Soup.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a sauce pan saute 1 Onion, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped and 1 clove Garlic, minced. When onions are transparent add 2-3 cups Chicken Stock + Water or Tea and 1-2 cups Chicken pieces. Bring broth and veggies to a boil. Season with Rosemary, Thyme, Salt and Pepper. Add a handful of Noodles (egg, wheat, udon, etc) and continue boiling until noodles are tender. Serve into bowls and chow down!

Clam Noodle Soup

I am in the perfect situation to experiment with ingredients I've never had easy access to, and considering my love of food-centered experiments, this is the perfect situation! Within my first month of life in South Korea I picked up a package of noodles which I made assumptions about, created this dish, and knew it could have been better. Well flash foward a few months and a LOT more Korean-dining experiences later and I've just about clued into this particular noodle. Hoping I could incorporate this noodle more as it ought to be, I attempted a bit of 'fusion' cooking using ideas from a previous cooking class and my own innovations to whip up this pot of Clam Noodle Soup.

Ingredients:

A dozen Clams

Handful of Bean Sprouts

1/2 Carrot, diced

1 Leek/2 Green Onions, sliced

6 Sesame Leaves, chopped

3-4 cups Broth or Tea

Korean Noodles (could substitute spaghetti, udon, ramen)

Salt and Pepper to seasoning

Directions:

Wash clams. (I've since learned there's a lot to this process and I've far from perfected it, chime in if you have advice; here's what I've learned: scrub down clams, soak in salt water for several hours. Add cornmeal to expel grit and such - I tried oatmeal as cornmeal is a hot commodity here in the ROK, scrub again, then boil, prepare as directed. If clams do not open during boiling process they are bad. Summary of information I found here.) In pot, bring broth/tea to a boil, add rinsed and clean bean sprouts to the pot with clams, boil with lid on for about 8 minutes. If clams are opening up, add carrot, simmer for about 5 minutes until carrot is tender. Add noodles, cook until tender. (For a more accurate Korean dish, prepare noodles separately, drain of liquid serve with broth and clams spooned on top). Fill bowl with noodles first, top with broth and a few opened clams, sprinkle sesame leaves on top, season to taste with salt and pepper, enjoy!

More clam recipes and cooking directions can be found by clicking the yellow box below!

Manila Clams