Not-Quite-Instant Noodles
The appeal of a cup of noodles is undeniable. Ask any college graduate and there was probably a time in his or her life when instant noodles were such a diet essential they could have been their own food group. As grownups with bigger bank accounts, the heart may still hold a special place for these delicious, nominally nutritious cups of noodles and broth, but the head may now know a little better than to be eating them every day. However, just because we may have outgrown the Styrofoam cup version of noodles and broth doesn’t mean that a healthier cup of noodles can’t satisfy the craving from time to time, even if cooking them is slightly less than instantaneous.
My own love of instant noodles dates back to childhood where wavy blocks of Top Ramen were forbidden fruit, only to be found in the pantries of homes other than mine. As children of parents whose ideas of junk food were unsweetened banana chips and yogurt covered raisins, foods like sodium filled instant noodles were strictly off limits. So it was that my best friend and I entertained ourselves at her house by raiding the cupboards for unhealthy fare that I couldn’t find at home, assembling multi-course lunches out of Spaghetti-O’s and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Always in this junk filled bonanza would be a soup course with piping hot bowls of Top Ramen in one of many exciting flavors ranging from beef to shrimp.
In my later years, noodles continued to call to me. In college, the discovery of Udon noodles changed my entire way of looking at typical instant noodle experience. Found the in refrigerator section, Udon noodles cooked up on the stove in about the time it would take for a cup of instant noodles to sit in boiling water before eating. And since the Udon was cooked ever so briefly on the stovetop, I could fill out the dish throwing in cubes of tofu, frozen and defrosted shrimp, and some veggies for a complete meal.
As the health conscious adult in me continued to evolve even the Udon still had problems when it came to everyday eating in that it also relied on a sodium heavy spice packet as the flavor base. So as I began experimenting with other kinds of quick cooking noodles from thin rice vermicelli to Japanese soba noodles, I also worked on making quick broths that could add flavor without all the salt.
Most rice noodles, for instance, cook almost instantly but need a 10 minute soak in a bowl of water before proceeding. Ten minutes is more than enough time to infuse chicken broth with lemongrass, dried Kaffir lime, garlic, and perhaps a slice of ginger for a Southeast Asian style noodle soup. Just add shredded cooked chicken and optional toppings such as sliced green onion, shredded carrot, and red bell pepper for a complete meal in about 15 minutes.
Another favorite, the Japanese buckwheat noodle, soba, takes well to vegetarian bases such a kombu broth made by simmering the dried sea kelp in boiling water for several minutes. The broth can then be seasoned with soy sauce and sesame and served with the cooked soba noodles and any variety of condiments from the cooked kombu, thinly sliced, and toasted sesame seeds, to sautéed bay scallops or even a fried egg.
The same thing that made noodles so great in college is still what makes them great as grownups: noodles are a filling, quick, and inexpensive way to eat. Spend a few more minutes and maybe a couple more dollars and all the benefits of instant noodles are still there, if in a much healthier, tastier, if not-quite-instant package.
Made with heads baby bok choy, shiitake mushroom, chicken broth, garlic, piece (1 inch size) ginger, shallots, vegetable oil, sesame oil, salt, soba noodles
Serves/Makes: 4
- 12 ounces soba noodles
- salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 medium shallots
- 1 piece (1 inch size) ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 12 medium shiitake mushroom
- 4 heads baby bok choy
- 1/2 pound bay scallops
- 1/2 pound small peeled shrimp
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- black pepper
- Garlic chili paste (optional)
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook soba according to package directions, about 4 minutes to al dente, then drain. Rinse soba until cold, running water. Toss soba with sesame oil and set aside.
While soba is cooking prepare broth. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Peel and thinly slice shallots. Add shallots to the vegetable oil and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, slice ginger into large pieces about 1/8 inch thick. Lightly crush garlic cloves. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and saute for another minutes until fragrant. Add chicken broth to the large pot, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, remove stems from mushrooms and discard. Slice caps into 1/4-inch thick slices. When broth has reached a boil some orange colored foam may appear. Skim the foam and discard. Add mushrooms and return to a boil. Reduce to simmer and keep cooking over a medium flame until mushrooms are tender. Rinse bok choy, cut into 1 inch pieces and add to the broth. Continue to simmer until mushrooms and bok choy are tender.
Meanwhile rinse seafood and pat dry. Heat butter in a large saute pan. Season seafood with salt and pepper and add to butter. Saute for 2-3 minutes tossing frequenting until scallops are opaque and shrimp are pink and cooked through.
To serve, divide soba between bowls. Skim off any remaining foam on the broth. Discard pieces of ginger. Stir in soy sauce and add pepper to taste. Ladle soup over noodles. Divide cooked seafood between bowls. Serve with optional garlic chili paste.
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