All in Recipe
I've stopped going to my favorite Japanese Hot Pot place in San Francisco (Shabu House) because I discovered they use MSG in their broth. And I found out in the most distressing way.
Me: This hot pot is especially salty today. Do you think they use MSG?
Friend: No- of course not- I wouldn't come here if they used MSG.
Me: Excuse me (to waitress)- is there MSG in this?
Waitress: (nods fervently)
Pasta - making is NOT hard. Also, it’s not THAT time consuming. After a few rounds in pasta bootcamp (or after reading this recipe), you’ll be able to crank out pasta in 30 minutes.
Flavors: Sweet, brothy, unami
A classic hearty chicken noodle soup but with an Udon-y twist. I like using a Dutch oven for any of my soups. If you’re a baller on a budget, this is my favorite cheap-o depot Dutch oven. It works fabulously. It really locks in the flavor and makes the broth BOMB.
Flavors: Sweet, umami
This is the perfect noodle dish that requires minimal ingredients that you can make in 30 minutes. It’s super easy to make and is a great weeknight meal or a mid-week lunch. You know how some noodle dishes don’t hold up when you eat them as let overs? Jap Chae leftovers are just as good day 2.
Flavors: Sweet, meaty, spicy
If you’ve never had Inaizushi, it’s like a tofu meat dumpling. They’re sweet and slightly spicy. You can find the tofu skin wrapper at H Mart or Ranch 99. Buy the big ones - don’t be like me. I spent TOO much time stuffing multiple cups of rice into tiny tofu packets. Talk about annoying.
Flavor: Spicy, slightly sweet, savory
I miss Bing’s Dumplings. They have the bombest dumplings in the Bay Area, and they make this spicy, savory noodle dish that is to DIE for. It’s kind of like Zha Jiang Mian, but BETTER.
Flavors: Sweet, salty, mildly spicy
Paramount Coffee Project in LA has this BOMB udon dish on their menu. It’s a spicy noodle served with an egg- it’s one of those dishes that sticks with you. Here’s my rendition of it. I LOVED eating it for breakfast. Savory breakfast for the win. Scroll to the bottom to see the photo of the Paramount noodles.
In cold weather, I often crave pho, ramen, hot pot, and other soups, but I always regret purchasing it at restaurants. Per @jennalyner's request, here's a Pho Ga recipe that won't cause hypertension...
This noodle dish is perfect when you want carbs with a little bit of veggies and only have 30 minutes.
Sometimes I have mad cravings, but I don’t have the ingredients. But I NEED to eat that particular food. Today, the craving was Korean Seafood pancakes. I don’t have any of the flour - no carrots, but a bunch of random veggies.
