This is an easy stir-fried pasta dish that is made from a fusion of Chinese-Japanese ingredients. With the weather significantly cooler these days, I have been craving hot and spicy food to warm my soul :) Sure, chicken soup might work too but this is better…this is quick, delicious and is easily adaptable.

I used angel hair pasta for this dish but feel free to use soba noodles or egg noodles as substitute. This is a vegetarian dish but can easily be non-vegetarian with the addition of meat and bonito flakes.

Asian-style Spicy Pasta:
150grams angel hair pasta, cooked until al-dente
1 green pepper, sliced
1 large carrots, sliced
1/4 cup edamame beans
1 square of tofu, cut into rectangular pieces
1/2 cup sliced green and wax beans
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1tbsp+1tbsp oil

Seasoning (combine together before cooking):
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
3tbsp soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of mirin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoon of water
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
1 teaspoon of black sesame seeds

Optional: Garlic oil, bonito flakes for garnish

Method:
1. Heat your wok/pan with 1tablespoon of oil and saute your carrots for 1 minute before adding the rest of the other vegetables in. Cook the vegetables quickly on high heat and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set them on a plate for later.
2. In the same pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp of oil and add tofu in. Saute for 4-5 minutes until your tofu shows a slight browning on the corners. Add your onions and garlic and stir fry the three together until the onions wilt.
3. Add your pasta in for a quick stir fry and also toss in the veggies you sauteed earlier. Do a quick toss with all the ingredients before adding the seasoning in.
4. Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes and remember to keep it moving inside the pan.
5. Serve hot and with some spicy chili oil condiment and with some garlic oil, if desired.

I personally love adding these condiments because it gives a whole new level of flavor and depth.

Kaiseki (懐石, Kaiseki?) or kaiseki ryōri (懐石料理, kaiseki ryōri?) is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner analogous to Western haute cuisine. There are two types of Japanese meal styles, Kaiseki or Kaiseki Ryori where the latter is use mostly in banquets.

In the present day, kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor. Local ingredients are often included as well. Finished dishes are carefully presented on colorful plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals.

Originally, kaiseki comprised a bowl of miso soup and three side dishes. It has since evolved to include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a steamed course, in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef.

* Sakizuke: an appetizer similar to the French amuse-gueule.
* Hassun: the second course, which sets the seasonal theme. Typically one kind of sushi and several smaller side dishes.
* Mukozuke: a sliced dish of seasonal sashimi.
* Takiawase: vegetables served with meat, fish or tofu; the ingredients are simmered separately.
* Futamono: a “lidded dish”; typically a soup.
* Yakimono: Broiled seasonal fish.
* Su-zakana: a small dish used to clean the palate, such as vegetables in vinegar.
* Hiyashi-bachi: served only in summer; chilled, lightly-cooked vegetables.
* Naka-choko: another palate-cleanser; may be a light, acidic soup.
* Shiizakana: a substantial dish, such as a hot pot.
* Gohan: a rice dish made with seasonal ingredients.
* Ko no mono: seasonal pickled vegetables.
* Tome-wan: a miso-based or vegetable soup served with rice.
* Mizumono: a seasonal dessert; may be fruit, confection, ice cream, or cake.

I am sure many of you have had a Japanese kaiseki before, maybe not as elaborately but the simple Japanese bento is a form of casual kaiseki. If you have had the pleasure of staying in a ryokan, you would also have had the pleasure of being served kaiseki style – the picture above is an example of a breakfast kaiseki in a ryokan.

After watching the movie Tampopo, I was inspired to make my very own ramen. I didn’t want any instant stuff, I wanted REAL ramen with rich, real broth made from slow simmering chicken bones (or pork bones if you like). The result was an excellent ramen that is both healthy, low in MSG and fulfilling.

You can use ANY toppings on you ramen but I julienne some meat and vegetables to make a medley that rounds off an otherwise plain bowl of noodles.

For my noodles, I used 1 cup of all purpose flour,1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg and 2 tbsp of water. Knead until the dough becomes tough and satiny smooth. This is perhap the most labourious of all throughout the recipe but you will be rewarded with bouncy noodles at the end if you do this. I kneaded my dough for 10-15 mins nonstop. Important: Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before rolling it out thinly. I just ran it through my pasta machine and then cut them with my finest pasta roller on the same machine. Douse a lot of flour on the freshly cut pasta so they don’t clump up together.

For my broth, I laboriously boiled four chicken carcasses with a head of garlic, 1 cup of bonito flakes and a knob of ginger for close to 3 hours. But first, parboil your chicken carcass for 5 minutes first – this is key to getting a very clear broth with no grayish froth while you are boiling your broth. After 3 hours, sieve the carcass garlic and bonito flakes out. This will be your broth base.

To cook and assemble, I heat up a large pot of water, salted, and wait until it boils. While waiting for the water to boil, I took 2 tbsp of miso paste and added it into the broth pot – I stir to dissolve the miso and then season with some soy sauce. The broth is now ready to be used.

To cook and assemble, I heat up a large pot of water, salted, and wait until it boils. While waiting for the water to boil, I took 2 tbsp of miso paste and added it into the broth pot – I stir to dissolve the miso and then season with some soy sauce. The broth is now ready to be used.

Now that the water is boiling I tossed in my fresh noodles. It takes only 2 minutes to cook, once they start floating on the surface you can take them out into a serving bowl. Ladle the hot broth onto your soup and garnish with your favorite ingredients. I made some julienne red peppers, green beans, green onions/scallions and vegetarian mock meat as my topping but feel free to use beef, pork, chicken or seafood.

But anyway, I had to ask – What’s your favorite instant ramen?

Mine’s this:

For those of you who have seen Tampopo, do yourself a favor and watch it this week.

It is an old Japanese cult movie about food, specifically ramen and how to appreciate good ramen. The movie has a steady foodie cult following over the past years. Watching this movie makes me want to make my own ramen from scratch :)

Watch a clip here:

A great noodle recipe for hot summery days :)