Satisfying, Healthy and Economical
by Pam Vukelic

It’s time for the heavy soups of winter to give way to lighter fare. Noodles, the most popular food in Southeast Asia, and especially popular in Japan, offer a base with endless possibilities.

Serve them warm or chilled with a few vegetables, a little protein and a crispy garnish on top. Bind all the ingredients together with a sauce. Many bottled sauces have wonderful flavor and, of course, you cannot beat the convenience. Eaten with chopsticks from a deep noodle bowl, they are satisfying, healthy and economical.

Consider the options….

Noodles: Somen are very thin wheat noodles that will cook in boiling water in as little as one minute. Udon are thicker, resembling short fettuccine, and are also a wheat product. Ramen, the ubiquitous children’s favorite, are easy to eat due to their curly nature. Soba, uniquely Japanese, are part buckwheat and part ordinary wheat flour. Pay close attention to the cooking time recommended on the package, and don’t overcook – they’ll become mushy and sticky. If serving your dish cold, rinse the noodles; if serving hot, don’t bother.

Vegetables: Snow peas, shelled edamame (green soybeans), mini corn cobs, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, sprouts, shredded carrots and grilled red pepper are all options. To gently heat canned vegetables, such as sliced water chestnuts, pour them into your colander to allow the liquid to drain away. Then pour your cooked noodles and pasta water through the colander. You will heat the vegetables just enough to serve. Return the cooked pasta to the pot to keep it warm while mixing in the other ingredients.

Protein: A little meat goes a long way in noodle dishes. Season boneless chicken breasts and grill on a grill pan on your stove. Thinly slice and place a few strips on top of each serving of noodles. The same can be done with beef steaks or boneless pork chops. Another option is to brown ground turkey, beef or pork with onion, garlic and fresh ginger. Ground meat can be mixed into the noodles along with the vegetables.

Sauces: A few of my favorites are Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce (House of Tsang), Veri Veri Teriyaki (Soy Vay) and Light Asian Toasted Sesame Salad Dressing (Kraft). To add a little heat, put in a bit of hot chili sauce (Sriracha) or chili garlic sauce (Hoy Fung Foods). Go easy – you can always add more, but you can’t take it out. Add enough sauce to the pasta pot to add flavor and serve as a binding agent for the other ingredients.

Crispy garnish: A variation in texture is always appealing, so top your noodle bowls off with a few chopped peanuts, some fine rice noodles (La Choy) or toasted sesame seeds.

Even more spring-like…

Instead of serving your noodles in a bowl, wash and dry Boston Bib lettuce leaves to use as lettuce wraps. Place the leaves on a large platter with small serving bowls containing an assortment of the above-described ingredients. Have your family members or guests build their own lettuce roll with ingredients they choose. Once the leaf is loaded with ingredients it can be rolled egg-roll-style and eaten out-of-hand. Have plenty of napkins at your disposal!