Spicy Asian dishes are my favorite! Not the sickly sweet MSG laden ones, but home made, tasty ones.
You can use shrimp or chicken in this delicious recipe, but it can also be made vegan as well.
This recipe is simple, but with complex flavors. Start a day or more before the day you need it, because the broth IS the star of this show and we want it amazing! To make a really good stock, we need to draw as much flavor out of our ingredients as possible.
For your stock, use whatever veggies, you want. I usually keep all the tops and bottoms of my celery ribs, carrots and onions for this, as they get tossed in the end anyway. But, hey sometimes you have to use what you have. Really any veggies will work. Whether you are using chicken, shrimp or making it vegan, the stock starts the same way.
Stock
- large stock pot
- 6 to 8 cups veggies or clean veggie scraps (Carrots, celery, onion, cabbage, peppers etc.)
- 10 to 12 cups water
- Chicken, Shrimps shells or Dulse Flakes if Vegan.
- Chicken: 4 thighs, skin on, bone in.
- Shrimp: 1-1 1/2 lb raw shell on
- Vegan: 2 Tbls Dulse Flakes
Ingredients
- Noodles, Ramen, rice noodles, or spaghetti. (I talk about amounts below)
- 3 cups Bock Choy (with bottom whites removed) collard greens, cabbage or kale coarsely chopped.
- 4-5 mushrooms thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 carrot (match sticks if possible, if not, thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup been sprouts Added at end. (Optional)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2-2 inches Ginger, grated
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1-2 tsp Chili paste (I like Siracha’s chili paste for this) Optional
- 2 Tbls Toasted Sesame oil
- 1 lime divided
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced (For topping, optional)
- 2 Tbls Cilantro (For topping, optional)
- 2 tsp Sesame seeds (For topping, optional)
- Tofu cubed if desired
Directions (Serves 4)
THE STOCK: Make the stock a day or two ahead, this is optional, but well worth the wait, trust me. The flavors in the stock come together and become more pronounced if left the extra time. Now choose chicken, shrimp or Vegan. If you are choosing chicken you will need 3-4 Bone in thighs, yes, skin and bones. If you will be using Shrimp, 1- 1/2 lbs of raw shell on will do.
VEGAN: If you will be making this plant based you will use 2 TBLS of Dulse Flakes (Dried sea vegetable) and maybe some mushrooms. (Vegan dishes are notorious for lacking in Umami flavor, we will fix that) 🙂 If you can not find Dulse flakes at your local store, amazon has them. 4 Tbls of Miso is another ingredient that can be added to finished product to help with this as well.
The stock starts the same with all the stocks. In a large stock pot, place 2 tbls oil of choice into pot. On medium heat cook all vegetables or veggie scraps. We are looking for dark edges and golden brown. This should only take 2-3 minutes. Stirring frequently. Do not over cook the vegetables, they should remain stiff. Once the edges of veggies are brown add a cup of water and de-glase the bottom of the pan. Then add your meat or Dulse flakes on top of the vegetables. Add 10 to 12 cups water, enough to well cover your ingredients ( You may be adding more through the cooking process) Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down and simmer 4 to 5 hours. Low and slow. Checking on it from time to time to see if it needs more water. When the 4 to 5 hours is up, (If using chicken remove thighs with a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Once cooled enough to touch, remove skin and bones and throw them back into pot, and bring back to a boil, then simmer. Cover the chicken and put in fridge.) The stock may taste a little bland at this point, but hold on, we will be adding the stronger flavors later. Please resist the urge to add salt. Simmer for an additional 2-3 hours, checking from time to time if it needs more water. Once the stock is finished, allow to cool a bit before placing it in the fridge overnight.
THE NOODLE SOUP: Let’s talk about the noodles. It really doesn’t matter what noodles you use. Just make sure to follow the directions for servings. (I like to make 5 servings for 4 people, because most people want a little more, and I want lunch tomorrow) For a more authentic feel I like Lotus Brand Rice ramen or Thai Kitchen white rice noodles, but you can even use spaghetti noodles if you like, they do take a bit longer to cook though. * Once the stock is boiling things move quick! Have things prepped and ready! Using a colander drain the liquid from the stock. Place the liquid back in pot and toss everything else. (Make sure you have between 10-12 cups of liquid. If not, add more water.) Add the minced garlic, grated ginger,red pepper flakes, soy sauce (chili paste if using.) and bring to a boil. While the stock is coming to a boil, make sure all your ingredients are prepped. Once stock has boiled for 5-6 minutes taste the broth for saltiness and adjust accordingly. Add the noodles and par-boil them. *Par-boil is not quite cooking the noodles all the way. Every noodle is different, so pull one out and try it. If it still has some stiffness to the center, but it they are separated, bendy and soft (Par-Boiled) It’s done. Add the tofu now if using. Add the Vegetables, and shrimp (if using) boil for 2-3 minutes? *Okay, here is the trickiest part. The noodles need to be done at the end, but not over done, and the veggies need to be blanched ONLY, but not cooked. ( I use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies if I think the noodles are taking longer, so that they do not become overcooked) Now add the bean sprouts and 2 cups of coarsely chopped chicken if using. Lastly, squeeze 1/2 a lime into noodle soup and stir. You’re ready to eat!
PLATING & SERVING: Plate the soup using large bowls. Using a pasta utensil, divide the noodles into 4 bowls. Pour broth over noodles. Add the meat, and veggies, then drizzle toasted sesame oil over it. Top with green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds if desired. Serve with chop sticks and a lime wedge. Make more sesame oil, soy sauce and chili sauce available to your guests. ENJOY!
We have this Spicy Asian noodle soup often, because the recipe is so versatile and really easy once you have done it a time or two. Get creative with it.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Kristy
Cooking with Kristy 