Kimchi Ramen

Do you know what Koreans love to eat? Ramen. Spicy broth, wavy noodles, bits of vegetables and sometimes and egg. It's a bit chilly in Seattle today, so the soupy goodness goes well with the weather. The great part about ramen is that you can add almost anything you want to it. Normally I will an egg to the pot while its still bubbling, and give everything a quick stir. This will make the broth a little creamy in consistency. Today I decided to poach the egg instead, just for fun. I used the Food Networks instructions to poach the egg, found here.

The stone pot used here is used for soup and stews in Korean cooking. You can find one in a Korean market for about $5. Get the tray that is usually sold separately. This pot gets REALLY hot and I have burned through a couple pot holders on accident. 

This recipe can be made vegan by omitting the egg and using cubed tofu instead. If using the poached egg, start the egg water at the same time as the soup broth.

Check your kimchi to see if any fish products were used to make it (shrimp paste, fish sauce, etc). Vegan kimchi is often found on refrigerated store shelves, even in American ones.  If using kimchi (kimchee), the trick to well flavored kimchi food is making sure its fermented well. Normally, store bought kimchi is fermented yet still considered "fresh". If you let it age a little, the flavor deepens and the cabbage gets a little softer. In the fridge it can take a week or so, so if you are in a rush, take out some kimchi and leave it in an air tight container (don't use plastic, the smell will never come out) in the kitchen. It'll usually age in a day or so. 

Here, I halved the ramen noodles from a Neoguri package. Shin Ramen noodles also work really well. The noodles in these two packages are a little thicker than the kind you usually see in American stores (think Top Ramen). If you look at the nutritional information on the ramen packages, you'll notice that one package is for two servings, therefore I halved the noodles for this recipe. You can toss the flavoring package or give it someone who likes using it. The flavoring package normally contains some sort of meat flavoring product.

KIMCHI RAMEN

2 CUPS of water

1 tsp vegetable base

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 CUP aged kimchi, sliced

1 serving of ramen noodles

1 stalk of green onion, sliced

1 medium or large egg (optional)

1. Bring water to a boil. If using stone pot, bring the water up to medium heat first before going medium high. 
2. Once water is boiling, add the vegetable broth and garlic and bring to boil again. 
3. Add the noodles and kimchi to the broth. 
4. Once the noodles soften, add the green onions and egg.

Faux Pho II

Last time I made meat free pho, I used only Udon soup base for the broth. It lacked the wholesome taste that beef pho has, so I decided to try making it again, this time I added some ingredients used in Korean foods. THIS TIME ITS TASTED MUCH HEARTIER. Here is a brief explanation of the two ingredients that made a huge difference this time around:

Dashima

A kelp used in Asian cuisine, when boiled, creates a soup stock. Usually sold in stores in dried pieces.

Shiitake Mushroom

A mushroom that some consider a delicacy, and sold in dry and fresh form at all Asian stores and fresh in local markets . When dried pieces are boiled, it can flavor soups and because of this, its considered a vegetarian dashi.

Vegetable Pho II (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

1/2 medium onion, large slices

2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms

1 piece dried dashima, 4 inch piece

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

1 head broccoli, chopped

6 cups bean sprouts

2 cups napa cabbage, chopped

2 cups bokchoi

2 jalepenos, sliced

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

1/2 lemon, sliced

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add 1/2 onion, shiitake, and dashima. Continue boiling until onion is soft and broth has reached its desired concentration (about 15 min).

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Blanch the carrots and broccoli for 1 min until they soften but still crisp. Remove the vegetables and separate into servings.

3. In the same pot that water is boiling, Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

4. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try different vegetables to suit your taste, tofu also makes a good addition to any pho.

Faux Pho

Uh oh. Back to noodles again.

About a week ago, I ate at a local Vietnamese restaurant, 5 Seasons Grill, that served vegetable pho. I was given the choice between beef broth and vegetable broth, and was impressed at how pho-filling (sorry, I couldn't help it!) the "vegetable" broth was. My friend said that the vegetable broth reminded her of udon soup base. So with an udon soup base bottle in hand, I decided to try making my own vegetarian pho.

The particular brand I was using had fish sauce in it, which does not make it vegetarian. There are brands out there that are fish sauce free, but I have not tried any of them yet. Udon soup base is actually concentrated soba sauce, just diluted with water and is easily found in any Asian food market. When buying noodles for pho, do not get dry rice noodles, purchase the "wet" version that is stored in the refrigerated section. Lastly, there are two types of bean sprouts sold at asian stores and they look pretty similar to each other. Do not buy the one that has a darker yellow sprout, you want the one that is a lighter yellow.

Luckily, this pho wont take days or hours to get broth, just minutes.

Vegetable Pho (Faux Pho)

30 min, Serves 4

8 cups water

1 cup soba sauce (Udon soup base)

6 servings of pho (wet) rice noodles

6 medium shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, 1/4 inch thin rounds

6 cups bean sprouts

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2 cups cilantro, diced

6 sprigs thai basil

Other vegetables*

1. Add water and soba sauce to a pot and boil on medium-high. Once this boils, add carrots and cook for 5 min. Remove cooked carrots with a strainer ladle and set aside.

2. In another pot, boil some water on high. Place a single serving of noodles into this pot for 2 min and remove with a strainer ladle. Move cooked noodles into a serving bowl.

3. Add all vegetables including carrots to the serving bowl. Pour boiling broth over everything so the ingredients cook. Serve immediately. Add Sriracha Hot Chili sauce and Hoison sauce to taste. If you find the broth to be too salty, add hot water. If it seems too bland add a touch of soba sauce or soy sauce.

*Try using cabbage, broccoli, or button mushrooms with your pho!

Vietnamese Vermicelli

Bun is a fresh noodle dish that can be found in most Vietnamese restaurants and homes. I like to enjoy it on a warm day as an alternative to Pho because I find it refreshing. It's only drawback to possibly being a popular dish is its pungent smell and fishy flavor in the fish sauce that is used. The sauce is an acquired taste and smell that some will never get used to! I no longer mind fish sauce, but some days I still find it overpowering. As an alternative I use Sriracha Hot Chili sauce along with Hoison sauce, or even a blend of Rice vinegar and sugar. I'll list the alternatives in the recipe below.

Vietnamese Vermicelli (Bun)
Serves 4, 20 min

4 servings of dry rice stick noodles*

2 cups cilantro, chopped

4 cups bean sprouts

4 cups lettuce, julienned

4 cups cucumber, julienned

8 sprigs Thai basil leaves

4 cups medium firm tofu, cubed

4 tablespoon picked carrot

4 tablespoon ground, roasted peanuts

Fish Sauce

4 teaspoon Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoon fish sauce

4 teaspoon red chili sauce

Vinegar sauce

4 cups brown rice vinegar

1 cup sugar

1. Add 6 cups water to a pot and boil. Add dried rice sticks to boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Promptly remove pot from heat and rinse noodles in cold water. Place noodles in separate bowls.

2. Pan fry tofu for a few minutes until the outsides have browned and are firm. Set aside.

3. Add vegetables on top of the noodles. Add the fried tofu on top of the vegetables.

4. Prepare desired sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing completely. Continue to mix until sugar is dissolved.

5. Separate desired sauce and pour over each dish. Toss ingredients together and serve. Try using fried spring rolls, grilled shrimp, or seared scallops as toppings instead of tofu. Add Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Hoison sauce for added flavor.

*Do not confuse dry sticks with dried mung bean noodles. They have a different consistency, and mung bean noodles do not soak flavors as easily as rice sticks do.

Otsu Soba

Otsu Soba
Serves 4, 15 min
On days that I work, I don't get to eat dinner until I get home (around 10-11 PM). So the last thing I want to do is cook myself something that will take forever or keep me up too late from being too rich. Luckily, I came across this recipe online, originating from a small restaurant called Pomelo. It's a buckwheat noodle salad thats easy to make, full of flavor, light on the stomach and wallet. I didn't have a blender so after grating a few of the ingredients, I put the sauce in the microwave for 50 seconds so the honey was warm enough to mix with the rest of the ingredients.


Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1.Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils
2.Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
3.While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.
4.In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the 1/4 cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about 1/3 cup of the dressing. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.