After the new year I started to scour the internet, looking for new recipes to infuse into our repertoire. Bon Appetit published an extensive list of their most popular recipes. One month into the year and I’ve made a quarter of them already. This noodle dish was a hit immediately and has been requested a few times, which is why I have shortcuts already. Like the other asian recipes I’ve made, they come together really quickly, so make sure to do your prep before you turn on the stove and dinner will be ready in no time. Great the next day too!

Tips:

• If you don’t have mirin, which is a Japanese wine, you can substitute a dry sherry or marsala wine or use this as a good reason to open a bottle of white wine!  2/3 cup of white wine or rice vinegar + 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar = 2/3 cup mirin

• The first time I made this dish I used packages of ramen noodles and threw out the seasoning packets.  I used one per person and it was a hit!  Just saying you have options.

BETTER-THAN-TAKEOUT NOODLES

Originally from Bon Appétit

Makes 4 servings

PREP 15 minutes

COOK 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1/2 head of green cabbage, roughly chopped

1 lb. rice noodles, udon or whatever you like

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 lb. ground pork

5 scallions, white and pale-green parts coarsely chopped, dark-green parts thinly sliced

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch knob)

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2/3 cup mirin

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cabbage and cook, tossing often, until edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, tossing often, until thickest parts of cabbage leaves are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.

2. Cook noodles according to package, drain and transfer noodles to a bowl and toss with sesame oil. Transfer cabbage to bowl with noodles. Wipe out skillet.

3. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high and add pork, breaking up and spreading across surface of pan with a spatula or tongs. Cook pork, undisturbed, until underside is brown, about 3 minutes. The pork will never brown if you’re fussing with it the whole time, so when we say “undisturbed,” that means keep your paws off it and let the heat of the pan and the pork do their thing. When pork is browned, break up meat into small bits. Cook, tossing, just until there’s no more pink, about 1 minute. 

4. Add chopped scallions (the pale parts), ginger, and red pepper. Continue to cook, tossing often, until scallions are softened and bottom of skillet has started to brown, about 1 minute. Add noodle mixture, mirin, and soy sauce and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are coated in sauce (be sure to scrape bottom of skillet to dissolve any browned bits), about 45 seconds.

5. Remove from heat and fold in 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds and dark-green parts of scallions. Top with more sesame seeds before serving.