Wheat Noodles with Wakame and Korean Seaweed
Taking a break from the usual, we had this noodle dish for breakfast today. The wheat noodles I used are flat but you can use other kinds of noodles somen, ramen, udon, or soba to make this dish. Apart from the seasonings, there are only five ingredients in this noodle dish wheat noodles, sukiyaki cut beef, wakame and Korean seaweed, and lightly toasted sesame seeds.
Rehydrate the wakame and Korean seaweed in warm water (see the previous entry). Tear the Korean seaweed into smaller pieces. Boil in water for about ten minutes or until soft. Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan. Add the beef and cook briefly over very high heat, stirring to separate the pieces. Pour in the soy sauce, mirin, and honey. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles, drained seaweeds, and sesame seeds. Toss to coat the noodles with sauce.
Spaghetti and mussels in white wine
I meant to post this recipe a day after the pasta with prawns and asparagus but there was this terrible typhoon and where I live was among the areas that got the worst lashing. The power went out, we were waterless for a while. The power is still out actually. If you want to read more about all that, you can check out my other blog, House On A Hill. Anyway, I won’t bore you with disaster stories here let me just tell you about this dish.
Similar to the pasta and mussels with cheese sauce, except that instead of a white sauce, this one has a red sauce which makes it a close relative of chicken cacciatore. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Saute the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until they start to soften. Pour in the white wine. Boil, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remember, reducing the liquid means heightening the flavors.
Add the tomatoes. Pour in the pasta water. Boil some more until reduced and the tomatoes start to turn mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mussels to the pan. Cook for a few minutes or just until they open (alternatively, you can pry the shells open after debearding then discarding the empty half shell).