Oh, how I love Korean food. The combination of savory, sweet, and spicy really does it for me. One of the few types of packaged foods I actually keep around the house is this Korean brand of ramen noodles called Nong Shim Shin Ramyun Noodle Soup in the "Gourmet Spicy" flavor. One package is more than enough for 2 people if you beef it up with tons of veggies and a protein source like a fried egg or some tofu.
BEEFED UP KOREAN RAMEN NOODLE SOUP
Serves 2
I beef this soup up with a bunch of yellow squash "noodles". That way, two people can share one package of instant noodles, thus halving the calories and saturated fat, and simultaneously getting a belly-filling veggie kick. Watch out, because these noodles are spicy!
1 package (4.2 ounces, 120g) of Nong Shim Shin Ramyun noodle soup
3 yellow squash
4 small eggs
1 green onion, chopped
salt
Use a vegetable peeler to peel off long strips of squash, making a "pasta". Keep peeling all the way around the squash until you get to the center part with seeds. You can either throw this away or dice it and save it for another use (i.e. in soups, or sauteed in an omelette).
Boil water with about 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan. Add the ramen noodles and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the squash and simmer 2-3 minutes more until the squash is just cooked but not squishy. Drain and rinse briefly with cool water to stop the cooking process.
Heat about 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the soup base and seasoning mix that comes in the ramen package. Taste, and add another cup or so of water if it seems too concentrated. If you don't do very spicy, take it easy on the soup base package (the one that is bright red with red pepper flakes).
While the soup base is simmering, fry eggs in a little oil in a pan. Sunny side up works great in this recipe because the yolk gets extra cooking from the hot soup.
Divide the noodle/squash mixture into two serving bowls. Top with soup, then eggs, then green onions.
"PICKLED" MIZUNA WITH SESAME SEEDS
We get a ton of mizuna in our CSA shares. It is a mild mustardy flavored green that tastes great in salads and stir fries. I quickly "pickled" these for this recipe because I rarely plan far enough ahead to pickle things properly (though I do love kimchee).
1 large bunch mizuna (or spinach or radish greens)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon flax oil (I keep trying to find new ways to work flax oil into my diet)
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
salt to taste
Wash and coarsely chop the mizuna. Place in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle with a couple of teaspoons of salt. Heat up a pot of water until boiling and pour it over the mizuna until the greens are covered. Let sit for 5 minutes until the greens are just tender but still retain some crunch. Drain and squeeze out any remaining water.
Toast sesame seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat. Be careful, because they burn quickly. Watch them like a hawk!
Mix greens with the sesame seeds, oils, and hot pepper flakes. The greens should already be pretty salty, but if not, season with salt to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature as an accompaniment to the food.
