Quick Asian Noodle Soup

I cannot and will not claim that this Quick Asian Noodle Soup is Pho, Ramen, or anything terribly authentic or traditional. The defining characteristics of those noodle soups is the time and tradition that goes into their broths, it would be an oxymoron to call anything "Quick Pho," or even worse, "Cheater Pho" so the food traditionalist in me simply cannot call it that! However, the flavors I've added to this broth borrow from those delicious and beloved dishes. I made this to satisfy an emergency noodle craving and it has become a favorite. So, call it whatever you want, but I promise you'll call it delicious. My dad made soups like this often. He'd even take an instant ramen packet and jazz it up with leftover meat and fresh veggies. This is my homage to that. 

What Noodles should you use for this Quick Asian Noodle Soup?

I used noodles I happened to have in my pantry from my last spellbinding trip down the international food aisle at Wegmans, but you could make this with any noodle you prefer. Rice noodles would be very good. I am wild about mung bean or cellophane noodles (sometimes called glass noodles) which my dad used often and would be very good here. But you could even use spaghetti as my dad often did. Just cook your noodle of choice separately according to package instructions.

Inspiration from my Dad, as always

I've said before that my father had a real passion for Asian flavors and recipes. He had many Asian cookbooks and we loved visiting Asian markets and bringing home really amazing, authentic ingredients and products. For these reasons, these types of dishes and the beautiful, balanced flavors of many Asian cuisines are really comfort food to me. They remind me of my childhood and I crave them. 

Having written all of that, I make no claims that I am an expert on these cuisines. As I am updating this blog post, I just want to make that very clear. I have made Traditional Beef Pho and I have made Homemade Shoyu Ramen. They are amazing, time consuming in the best way, totally worth the special ingredients and many hours and I will continue to make them regularly. This quick Asian noodle soup is NOT a replacement to those incredible dishes, it is just a quick lunch on a cold day kind of recipe. 

I hope you'll give this a try, as well as maybe try the Pho and Ramen recipes I linked to. Let me know if you do! xo - Anita

Quick Asian Noodle Soup

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• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• one package Japanese wheat noodles (I used Hakubaku Organic Ramen 9.5 ounce package) (or whichever noodles you prefer)
• two quarts chicken or beef stock (or a combination)
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 one-inch piece of ginger, cut into large chunks, and another ½ inch piece peeled and very finely julienned for serving
• 4 green onions, dark green parts reserved for stock, light green parts finely sliced on the diagonal for serving
• 4 ounces Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved for stock, caps thinly sliced
• one red fresno chili pepper, seeds removed and very finely sliced (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 whole star anise
• small bunch of basil leaves, Thai basil if you can find it, leaves removed and thinly sliced for serving, stalks reserved for broth
• small bunch of cilantro, leaves removed for serving, stalks reserved for broth
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts for serving, ¼ cup per serving

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Instructions

1. In saucepan, combine stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, dark green parts of green onions, shiitake stems, star anise pods, basil and cilantro stalks. Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. After 20 minutes, strain stock and discard the simmered ingredients.
3. Return stock to pan and add sliced shiitake mushroom caps.
4. Simmer this gently while you cook the noodles.
5. Place a separate pot of water on to boil for the noodles, and cook according to package instructions.
6. Strain noodles and divide evenly between 4 bowls. Ladle stock over noodles and garnish each bowl with cooked shiitakes, bean sprouts, basil and cilantro leaves, pepper slices, ginger slices, and green onions. A squeeze of lime would be nice too!

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: soup
• Method: stovetop