cold weather noodles . . .
by mulberryshoots
It’s been frigid here and elsewhere (so many minus degrees below zero where M. lives in Minneapolis that they closed the schools!) This morning, I straightened out the books and magazines on my small Chinese table and came upon the “healthy” recipes that Bon Appetit was promoting in its January issue.
Leafing through, there was a teriyaki sauce recipe from a restaurant called “Canal House.” Three simple ingredients of the same measure:
1 cup packed light brown sugar;
1 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine); and
1 cup Ohsawa soy sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce):
simmered until the sugar dissolved and then cooked at very low heat for 40 minutes until the sauce thickened slightly. Good in the fridge for a month, the recipe said.
I paused midway through the thickening of the teriyaki sauce and tasted it with the tip of my spoon. The flavor was so rich and delectable that I imagined right away using a dollop of it to flavor fresh shitake mushrooms, softened in a pan; or glazing a piece of salmon or chicken thighs on the Le Creuset “Soleil” grill pans my daughters and I received as Christmas gifts from Santa (that’s me!)
So here’s the recipe for cold weather noodles I made for supper tonight:
1. Boil fresh Chinese wide egg noodles, drain and rinse with cold water, shaking out excess water. Defrosted a frozen pack of noodles tightly zipped in a plastic bag set in warm tap water and used two coils worth of noodles (see top photo.)
2. De-rib some lacinato kale and chop the leaves into two inch diagonal pieces.
3. Chop up some napa cabbage including leaves (same diagonal slice.)
4. Saute 2 cloves of garlic in a pan, add greens above and take off the heat when just wilted. Drain and set aside.
kale and napa cabbage
5. Combine 1/2 pound of fresh ground pork with scallions, ginger, and brown in a saucepan, adding a little teriyaki sauce when pork is browned.
cooked pork with garlic, kale and cabbage
6. Make a dashi broth in a sauce pan (either instant powder or with kombu and bonito flakes); add browned pork, cooked greens and stir. Cook gently for soup flavors to combine. To taste, add a spoonful of teriyaki sauce to the broth.
7. Add cooked noodles to soup and simmer.
dashi broth, kale, cabbage, pork, noodles flavored with teriyaki sauce . . .
8. Ladle into soup bowls and add a poached fresh organic egg on top or sprinkle with scallions.
It’s still pretty cold out there. But in here, it smells like heaven.
mulberryshoots 
That looks yummy. When you click on the photo (final), the enlargement highlights lovely nuances in color, texture, and you can almost see the steam wafting and smell the aroma!
It is cold here, too–16 degrees, and down to 7 later tonight.
Thanks, Susan! It was fun to make today as I continue my quest to cook nourishing and delicious dishes using vegetables and groceries that I still have in the fridge and freezer from the holidays. I have to give credit though, to Bon Appetit and their providing the Canal House teriyaki recipe. If you cook asian at all, it’s worth making the 3 ingredient teriyaki ambrosia that I added to the pork and to the broth at the end. It has such depth of flavor and surprisingly, is not SALTY. Very satisfying to eat so well from the cupboard!
My mom is on that same quest–cooking from the cupboard/freezer to use what is there before buying more. I will look at it in a new light next time I am home!