I've been taking a bit of a break from the blog lately to be able to concentrate more on my upcoming website launch! It's really exciting stuff!!! My apologies to all my followers, but I promise it will be worth the wait!
A sneak preview of what to expect on the new Foodie Declarations website
www.foodiedeclarations.com, coming soon... to a kitchen near you!
There are few things that taste as good as a nice hot and spicy noodle soup on a cold and rainy day. I've been making my version of this for years and it never turns out the same as the time before; sometimes frustrating, sometimes a source of new creative possibilities. I tried to make this one as basic as possible so that I would remember what I used. I'm calling it Asian Fusion since the noodles are Japanese, the Pak Soi and silk tofu originally Chinese and the miso paste I've used is Korean. If you have any, I think this soup would be great to top off with some kimchi; I'll come back to that in another post!
The What for the Soup
Udon noodles
Silk tofu
Mini Shanghai Pak Soi (or bok choi if you prefer)
chili
garlic
ginger
coriander roots (and leaves for garnish)
Korean Miso Paste
vegetable stoclk
lime juice
water
Coconut oil
The What for the Miso Sautéed Enoki Mushroom Side
Enoki mushrooms
Sesame seeds
chili
garlic
ginger
Korean Miso Paste
tamari or soy sauce
Soup: The How
Finely chop garlic, ginger and chili and crush the coriander roots. Gently fry in coconut oil in a large pan. Add the Korean Miso Paste and stir.
Pour in the water, bring to the boil and add the vegetable stock and the lime juice. Add more miso paste to bring up the taste if needed as well as some soy sauce if you want it more salty.
Wash the pak soi and cut into quarters, add to the soup.
Cut the silk tofu into cubes.
Add the Udon noodles and let simmer for about 4-5 minutes until they start getting softer.
Finally add the tofu, stir gently and let it get warm before serving.
Serve in a deep bowl, top with coriander and freshly cut chili.
Enoki Mushroom Sauté: The How
Wash the mushrooms thoroughly.
Finely chop garlic, ginger and chili and gently fry in coconut oil in a frying pan along with the sesame seeds. Add the enoki mushrroms as well as the Korean Miso Paste and stir.
Season with tamari or soy sauce, be careful not to use too much as it is quite salty.
Serve the mushrooms warm or cold as a side or as a part of a buffet style meal.
You can vary this soup endlessly; make it your own and I promise it will be your go to meal on a cold and rainy night when you're longing for a beach and some sunshine!
I get these occasional cravings for sauces like salsa, guacamole, sour cream... and when those cravings set in, it's impossible not to satisfy them..! I made this burger when one of those cravings got particularly bad, who says you can only have salsa and guacamole with Tacos?? Probably no one, but especially not me. Put it on a burger and call it fusion! There's nothing better. Like that Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown episode where he visits Korea Town in L.A, goes to Sizzler and has Italian meatball tacos that made my mouth water! I made them immediately and they tasted as amazing as they sounded. Don't underestimate the power of random fusion! Like he says "No one judges at Sizzler". Will have to get that recipe down in the blog as well! I'll save it for a later date. Here's the video of it from the show, for those who are too curious to wait for my version of it:
Whats not to like?? Meatballs, good! Tacos, good! Guacamole, good!! (A Joey reference for all those of you who aren't as die hard Friends fans as I am). Anyway, here's what you need to make my Spicy Guacamole and Kale burger:
The Burger:
ca 500 g minced meat
2-3 eggs depending on how fatty the minced meat is
ca 125 g breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, and some water if needed
The Guacamole:
2 avocados
chili
lemon
grarlic
salt and pepper
The Tomato Salsa:
Tomatoes
Red onion
Chili
balsamic vinegar, to taste
coriander
salt and pepper
Sriracha HOT chili sauce
green kale
chèvre cheese
The How:
Mix the minced meat with breadcrumbs, eggs and a bit of water if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Make into patties, make sure they're even and not too thick as the cooking time will then vary too much and the burger will end up burnt on the outside and raw on the inside (you learn from your mistakes..!).
Finely chop garlic and chili, squeeze the lemon juice and mix together with the avocado for the guacamole. If you want a smoother guacamole use a hand mixer, otherwise just use a spoon or a fork for a chunky version (I love the chunks!).
Finely chop the red onion, chili, tomatoes and coriander. Mix together and add balsamic vinegar if you like, salt and pepper. Let stand in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so that all the flavors are drawn out.
Wash and chop the kale, heat the burger bun or bread quickly in the oven or in a pan.
Now the order:
Bread, Sriracha HOT chili sauce, green kale, burger, chèvre cheese, salsa, guacamole, bread.
