Asian-style Chicken Noodle Soup

[zhemao]

This is a noodle soup dish I made today for dinner. Haven't really figured out a good name for it yet.

Ingredients:

• Wheat noodles


• Chicken thighs


• Dried kelp (kombu)


• Dried nori


• Salt


• Ginger


• Scallions


• Spinach

Directions:

1. Soak the kombu in a pot of cold water for 10 min.


2. Meanwhile, salt the chicken thighs and let sit


3. Slice the ginger (3 slices should be enough) and chop a stalk of scallions


4. Add the chicken to the pot with the kombu. Make sure there is enough water to cover the chicken.


5. Heat the pot on high. When the water begins boiling, remove the kombu.


6. Keep boiling until the outside of the chicken turns color.


7. Turn the heat to low. Skim off any foam or residue from the chicken.


8. Add the ginger and scallions and cover.


9. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.


10. Turn off the heat and transfer the soup to a container.


11. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and then add the noodles.


12. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package


13. When the noodles are done, lift them out of the pot and transfer to a bowl


14. Pour the broth over the noodles and add a few pieces of chicken


15. Blanch the spinach in the pot used for the noodles. Then add to the bowl.


16. Add one or two squares of nori.

And that's it. The seaweed and chicken give the broth a very savory taste, while the spinach adds a nice bit of greenery.

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Pork and Veggie Pasta

[zhemao]

I rarely get a dish to turn out so picture perfect, so I had to include an image for this one. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Pasta


• Pork


• Carrot


• Yellow onion


• White mushrooms


• Garlic


• Chili pepper


• Cooking oil (vegetable oil or olive oil is fine)


• Soy sauce


• Rice wine


• Salt


• Black pepper


• Sugar


• Tomato paste

Directions:

1. Slice the pork into thin strips.


2. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.


3. Transfer to a container and pour on some rice wine and soy sauce.


4. Mix well and then let it marinate in the fridge for an hour or more.


5. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta. Cook for a bit less than directed on the package.


6. When it's done, drain the water and rinse the pasta under cold water.


7. Peel a carrot and onion. Chop the carrot and half the onion into small pieces.


8. Finely chop two cloves of garlic.


9. If you are using a bag of pre-sliced mushrooms, take out half the bag and give the mushrooms a quick rinse.


10. Preheat the pan on low and add some oil.


11. Add the garlic and chili and stir fry for a bit until they become fragrant.


12. Add the carrot and onion. Stir fry until the onion turns a golden color.


13. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Add a bit more oil and then turn the heat to medium.


14. Add the pork and cook until the outside is nicely browned


15. Add the mushrooms and a bit of water.


16. Deglaze the bottom of the pan and stir well.


17. Add the vegetables back to the pan and stir again.


18. Dissolve two spoonfuls of tomato paste in some warm water and then add to the pan.


19. Cover, turn the heat to low, and let simmer until the vegetables are soft and the meat tender.


20. Add some sugar to balance the flavor.


21. Turn the heat to high, add the cooked pasta to the pan, and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed and the liquid is mostly reduced.


22. Turn off the heat and serve. You probably want to discard the chili pepper.

And there you are. Cooking the chili pepper over time gives the sauce some low-grade spiciness which enhances the rest of the flavor. The mushroom, tomato paste, and soy sauce add a lot of savoriness. In the photo, I've also topped the dish with some sesame seeds and placed some blanched spinach on the side.

You can save some time by overlapping some steps (chop the veggies while you're cooking the pasta). You should also feel free to mix up the ingredients. You can substitute the sliced pork for ground pork or some other kind of meat. You could also make the dish vegetarian by omitting the meat entirely. But if you do so, definitely add the soy sauce and black pepper later.

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