The Menu:
*Asian-inspired meal-in-a-bowl noodle soup
And for dessert: fresh pineapple
The Story:
DW and I started out our three days of doing nothing with a nourishing, comforting Friday Night Dinner. I never believed all those myths about pregnancy: the nesting instinct, the forgetful brain, the blissed-out serenity that can make even the most ardent control freak shrug complacently, the torrents of hormonal tears that have you laughing through them at the same time.
But they are all true in my case, and we have resigned ourselves to going along for the ride.
Although in my opinion, there’s really nothing a good meal-in-a-bowl can’t cure, help, bolster, comfort or put in perspective.
Walking In China town the other day, I thought of how much I used to love Asian food. I loved the flavours, the textures, the sticky wrappings and sweet-sour fillings. As a child, one of my favorite nights out was dinner at Sin-Kee, a popular place in the centre of Antwerp where you were bound to see lots of people you knew. I never really cared about the who’s who, but the spare ribs and shrimp-fried rice – now that was a sight to behold.
Cut to post-college, freelancing, New York living, and I gradually moved from simple Chinese to more elaborate sushi, Pad Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Tibetan and, of course, the darling child of the nineties: fusion. After five years of hummus and falafel, I regaled in the exploration of every kind of cuisine I could find. What a joy, having more experienced New Yorkers, friends and colleagues, introduce me to their favourite spots – from “authentic” holes in the walls to elegant places with crisp white table cloths with tabs put on expense accounts. Each held its own fascination for me and I did not encounter a meal where I couldn’t find at least one thing or another to love.
But those days are long gone. If it’s not the gluten, milk powder and vast amounts of sugar in most Asian sauces that will do me in, it’s the MSG and other additives that leave me reeling with migraines and digestive problems for days.
The solution, as always, has been to experiment with making my own.
Which is what we did.
The result, though definitely as far from ethnic as London is from Bangkok, contained enough of the flavours of the Far East that I was satisfied.
And the leftovers were even better the next day.
The Recipe:
*Asian-inspired meal-in-a-bowl noodle soup
(serves 3 as a main meal, 2 with ample leftover for the next day)
This is an extremely flexible meal; the trick is to do it in stages so each ingredient gets cooked without being overdone, and the flavors meld without allowing any specific one to take over. In a nutshell, it’s a basic Western vegetable soup with an Asian twist. Omit the egg to keep it vegan, or add chicken, bok choy or broccolini; use soba noodles instead of rice, or add more spice. Just keep in mind that if you do alter it, the seasonings will need to be adjusted accordingly.
I've written the recipe itself a little differently than I normally do, but have bolded the individual ingredients.
Bring to a boil:
6 cups water
½ bunch celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 finger-length piece of fresh ginger, cut into long wedges
3 cloves garlic, halved.
Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Then add a handful of seaweed of choice (I used sea spaghetti)
¾ - 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced lengthwise
Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, then lower the flame to as low as it will go while still bubbling and
Add 1 women’s thumbnail-sized slice of lemon peel
Mushrooms (I’ve used enoki or porchini)
¼ cup soy sauce
2 T mirin
1 T ume vinegar
1 t fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne (optional / to taste)
After you’ve put in the vinegar, whisk in 3 eggs (or skip this step to keep it vegan)
At the very end, add the Thai rice noodles (they only need 3 minutes)
Garnish with sprouts – sunflower are good, or for an extra little tangy kick, use radish – and fresh cilantro (if you have it)
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Beijocas!