Post written by jules from stonesoup | minimalist home cooking. Follow her on Twitter.
I love pasta.
Simple, comforting, versatile and inexpensive it’s easy to see why it’s on high rotation in most family dinner repetoires. But sometimes pasta can get a little boring week after week. Which is when I look to Asia and the wonderful of world of noodles for inspiration to freshen things up.
From fresh hokkien noodles, to dried rice sticks to soft Japanese udon noodles. There are so many options to choose from. And they’re fast. No need to boil for 10 minutes or more like pasta, just pour over some boiling water, soak for a few minutes and serve.
I know the thing that holds me back from cooking Asian food is the long ingredient lists and the thought of having to buy a whole heap of different sauces that I’m only going to use every now and then. So I’ve tried to keep things simple. To cook all 5 dishes you’ll only need three sauces – soy, fish and oyster. If you haven’t cooked Asian before I’d urge you to at least invest in a bottle of soy sauce and start from there.
So why not surprise the family with some noodle fun?
japanese noodle soup with spinach
serves 2
Udon noodles a lovely fat white Japanese wheat noodles. I’m still not sure how they can be all soft and fresh looking but come in packs that don’t need refrigerating. Noodle magic?
They are brilliant to have on hand for a quick meal. Just add in some some soy sauce lemon and baby spinach for a deeply satisfying nutritious dinner.
1 chicken breast, finely sliced into ribbons
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 packet udon noodles (7oz or 200g)
1 packet baby spinach leaves or 1 small bunch english spinach
lemon juice
Bring 2 cups water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until cooked. Scoop out chicken with a slotted spoon and divide between 2 bowls.
Return broth to the heat and add noodles, soy and spinach. Stir to break up the noodles and let the spinach wilt. You might need to add the spinach in batches. Don’t worry it will fit in as it wilts.
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, stir and taste. Keep adding lemon until it tastes fresh and zesty. Pour soup over the chicken and serve hot.
2 minute noodles with bok choy & oyster sauce
serves 2
If the thought of using 2 minute noodles disturbs you, by all means try another noodle but I was pleasantly surprised how lovely they were with the fresh greens and the savoury sauce.
If you can’t find bok choy, any other asian greens would work or you could just use a big bunch of English spinach.
1 packet 2 minute noodles – chicken flavour
1 bunch baby bok choy, separated into individual leaves
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Place about 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and add the flavour sachet from the noodles and bring to the boil. Add bok choy and noodles and simmer for 2 minutes until noodles are cooked and the bok choy is wilted. Drain and return to the pan. Stir through oyster sauce and oil and serve hot.
veggie laksa
serves 3
Laksa is a wonderful coconut milk based noodle soup that hails from Malaysia. These days you can get commercial laska or other Thai curry pastes that take all the hard work out of it.
I’ve used Singapore noodles in this recipe which are a fine version of fresh hokkien noodles but I have eaten laksa with rice noodles and even a combination of the two so feel free to substitute.
I’ve cheated a little on the 5 ingredient rule by including ‘mixed chopped vegetables’ as a single ingredient. I actually used a carrot, a zucchini and a red pepper, all cut into little batons. Chicken laksa is also really popular. Prawn or shrimps are lovely cooked in the spicy fragrant coconut broth.
3/4lb (350g) fresh Singapore noodles
2oz (60g) Laksa paste or other Thai curry paste
1 large can (1 1/2 cups) coconut cream
2 cups mixed chopped vegetables (see note above)
handful fresh basil leaves
Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 1 minute then massage to loosen into individual strands. Drain.
Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of peanut or other vegetable oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add curry paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Quickly add coconut cream and 2 cups boiling water. Bring to the boil and add vegetables. Simmer for 2 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
To serve, divide noodles between 3 bowls. Pour over soup and vegetables and top with basil leaves.
hokkien noodles with tofu, honey & soy
serves 4
Hokkien noodles are fresh wheat based noodles that are a lot like fresh fat spaghetti. They are usually in the chiller section of the supermarket, although I have seen some that are shelf stable in the Asian food section. If you can’t find hokkien noodles any other thick wheat based noodle would work well or even some spaghetti or bucatini.
If you’re not a fan of tofu, feel free to substitute in finely sliced chicken breast or even beef.
1lb (500g) fresh hokkien or singapore noodles
10oz (300g) firm tofu, chopped into large chunks
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
6 green onions, finely sliced
Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 1 minute then massage to loosen into individual strands. Drain.
Heat some peanut or other vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan. Add tofu and stir fry until golden brown. Mix together soy and honey in a small bowl then add to the wok. Stir and allow to cook until slightly reduced. Toss through noodles and green onion and serve hot.
rice noodles with chicken & lime
serves 4
This is based on the Thai dish ‘larb’ which is a fresh fragrant stir fry of ground chicken or pork. If you don’t want to invest in a bottle of fish sauce you could use 1/4 cup soy sauce instead. It will be slightly more salty and heavy but still lovely and fresh with the lime and herbs.
Dried rice noodles are an excellent option when you’re catering for people with wheat and gluten sensitivity. Rice noodles could be substituted in any of the recipes above. Just soften them first by soaking in a bowl of boiling water and off you go.
Another allergen note. Most soy sauces contain some wheat derivitaves and aren’t suitable for gluten free diets. The Japanese soy sauce known as Tamari does not contain wheat so look for this if you need to.
3/4lb (375g) rice sticks (dried rice noodles)
1 1/2lb (600g) ground chicken
1/3C fish sauce
1/4C lime juice + lime halves to serve
1 bunch coriander or fresh mint, leaves picked
Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to soften.
Heat some peanut or vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan. Cook chicken over high heat until well browned. Drain noodles and add to pan. Cook until noodles are heated through and softened. Add fish sauce and stir for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and toss through lime juice and herbs.
I love noodles and these recipes sound great. I can’t wait to try these out.
Thanks for sharing these recipes. We are always on the prowl for anything that uses noodles, coconut milk and of course we put curry in everything! Still hunting down the thai curry paste here, but I will find it!
These sound great and I look forward to trying them. I don’t eat meat, but It looks like tofu would go just fine as a protein replacement in a couple (if not all) of these recipes. Love the photos too! Thanks Jules. I just subscribed to your site/posts.
These look great. Better yet, they look super easy and can be make without extra trip to the store for random ingredients. Thanks so much for putting this together. I’ll be printing it out and keeping it handy.
thanks guys
karlyn
tofu would work fine in everything. although not sure you can get ground tofu to substitute for the ground chicken? I’d also think about using vegetable stock instead of water in the japanese noodle soup if you’re not using chicken
Thanks for the recipes! Noodles have to be one my favorite things to eat and I can’t wait to try these out!
I love noodles
I love this!
Asian noodle soups rule… most people don’t realize how quick, easy, and tasty they are. Your food photography is outstanding. Cheers -
thanks everyone
& couldn’t agree with you more mal. noodle soups are the best.
thanks for the link peter. will have a look at submitting some stuff to taste & share
I love this website!!
I love all the recipes! So quick and easy! Very versatile on all of them too! Thanks!
tnx 4 posting diz informaxon!
Oh, definitely yum. Simple and Good. Who could ask for more. I’m loving #1!
nnnnooooooooooooooodddddlllllllllleeeeeesssssssss
Can’t wait to try. looks awesome! thanks
Yum! Make the Laksa tonight with stuff from our garden: yellow squash, red pepper, and okra. And rice noodles were all I could find. I totally wussed out on the amount of curry paste so it was a little bland and adding more helped but was not really incorporated. Next time I’ll go the full 2 oz! Can’t wait to try the other recipes!
All these recipes look delicious, simple and easy to follow. Will definitely be making at least one of these this week!
Hi! I found you on pinterest and tried the veggie laksa tonight! I love how easy it was, and fun to make. The only thing I was wondering… it was very, very, very sweet. I think that maybe you meant coconut milk instead of coconut cream?
Stephanie, I also had the issue with using cream of coconut. I didn’t look at the nutrition facts and also died when I realized how much sugar I had just ingested :) I found out there is coconut cream which isn’t sweetened, but hard to find (I did of course find it at Whole Foods though). I’d love to know if coconut milk works too.
under 5 minute noodle
http://www.squidoo.com/IndomieNoodles
Love it and will make it again…Mmmmmmmmm Thnx
Please don’t use cream of coconut! Way too sweet. Fortunately, I didn’t use the full amount and mixed it w coconut milk. It was still too sweet for my liking, but I could tell that the flavors were wonderful! Looking forward to making this again with the proper ingredients!
I found you via Pinterest and made the Japanese Noodle Soup w/Spinach last night. DELICIOUS! And it was so incredibly easy. I loved it!
I just tried making the veggie laksa and it came out great. Thanks for this full tummy!
Made the Veggie Laksa tonight and it was really really good! But I think I used way to much curry paste!
It was soooooooo HOT!!!!!! Can’t wait to make the other recipes!!
Any suggestion for a Sesame seed oil substitute. My daughter is very allergic to Sesame seeds but we love anything noodles and asian Thanks
thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the great recipes, tonight I made the JAPANESE NOODLE SOUP. It was heavenly!!. My kind of food.
Hi, just found your site and I am in love with these noodle dishes. I am really going for the veggie laksa. Yummy.
I got some bok choy in my community basket this weekend and didn’t know what to do with it yet. Thanks, I’m going to try this recipe tonight!
love the first noodles!!!
veggie laksa… so freaking amazing!! thank you for this! two thumbs way up
The broth for the veggie laksa is great! I think adding some ginger and red pepper flakes or something to add more spice would be good too. The basil adds a lot of dimension to the flavor.
What would you think about adding chicken to the veggie laksa? Would you cook the chicken in any special spices or curry flavors?
Tried the 2 minute noodles with bok choy. EXREMELY salty tasting. Disappointed:(
Tried the Laksa recipe tonight. Yummy. Have you ever done it with broth or ALL coconut milk though? Adding the water made it a little watered down for us.
I have an allergy to fish sauce. What would be a good substitute for the rice noodles with chicken & lime?
WOW! Killer dishes and so easy. The Veggie Laksa is to die for Mmmm
loved the veg.laksa. it tasted great. added chicken for my friends.
These look fantastic! I love noodles of all kinds, but any kind of Asian noodle bowl is my fave. I love how they can be simple, or dressed up with lots of veggies and sauces. The laksa looks fantastic. Thank you for this post!
The Veggie Laska was fabulous. I have never made anything Thai before. I was so nervous. The flavors were amazing. Rich and delicate at the same time. I did make a few changes. I used veggie broth instead of water, used shredded carrots, and added very thinly sliced 1/2 onion. I also added a heaping teaspoon of dried basil instead of fresh. I had fresh, I just thought dried would infuse better. I used the entire 2 tbsp. red curry paste. Not spicy at all. It was fast too. I love good food and this really put me beside myself. It was sublime.
Hi! Im from singapore!
Delighted to see my favourite dish Laksa here in your blog!
Its actually a singapore dish, very common in many eateries. However, in malaysia- they have spicy version, call Penang Laska. Yummmmmy too!
Looks like i gotta head down to my favourite stall tomorrow for some laksa ;)
By the way, if you hv bread, dip it into the laska soup and it taste great too ;)
I tried the veggie lasksa tonight. I didn’t read the comments ahead of time and just threw in a whole can of coconut milk not realizing that it was way different than coconut cream! Ooops. I was dismayed that the broth, upon testing, was watery and flavorless. So I added natural peanut butter and sirachai. Oh man! So good! I will be wise and try the coconut cream next time, as I would love to follow the recipe but this was a happy mistake. Also, I used buckwheat noodles. They were fab too.
Thanks for the inspiration!!!
What brand of Laksa Paste was it? Are there different flavors? I don’t want it to be spicy–Thanks!
I”m 15 years old and i don’t know why but i have taken a very common interest in designing different meals and serving them to my family. So when i tried the Asian pasts thing, i was like wow that’s awesome. -thanks
Where do I find fresh singapore noodles? Thank you!
I want this for dinner now! It looks amazing!
Used coconut milk instead of cream for a healthier kick and also added shrimp! It was great!
The laska soup is soooo good. I changed a few things. Used light coconut milk, added 2 dried lemon grass stalks, 2 tbs sugar and the juice of one lime. I will make this soup all the time!
I made the laksa last night and it was delicious! Except mine wasn’t really a soup, it was more of a curry dish because I used lo mein noodles, about 4-5 cups of vegetables and 4 ounces of curry paste. It wasn’t too spicy and it was still delicious. I used shiitake mushrooms, red bell peppers and scallions. Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t like to eat noodles/pastas, but I must say that your food photography is outstanding.
I have made the Laksa a couple of times now. The first time, I felt the coconut was a little too strong and sweet. I looked at the comments here and saw a few others felt the same, and we all had the same idea: use coconut milk instead of cream. I tried this the second time, and let me assure you this is NOT the answer! The coconut flavor all but disappeared and the broth is much less creamy. I will go back to the cream next time, and be thankful for the strong flavor! LOL
The nicest thing I can say about the Laksa is that it was not good. Which stinks because I really, really, really wanted it to be.
The broth was watery and lacking flavor or any kind of oomph. Even after generous additions of soy, extra curry paste, etc. There was no helping it.
The noodles just tasted….. doughy. Yuck. I purchased fresh singapore noodles, quite dissapointed.
Don’t waste your money or time finding these ingredients. The entire dish needs a makeover. The ingredients sound like they would be great together, but at some point the combo is just wrong.
My verdict: Find another recipe.
In reading the comments about coconut cream vs. coconut milk I wanted to throw out a possibility…When you purchase coconut milk/Lite coconut milk, the solids that collect in the can are often referred to (at least in other recipes I have read as ‘the cream’). Could you have meant to just use the solids from coconut milk and discard/save the coconut water from the can? At most mainstream groceries, asking for coconut cream gets you a can of sweet linked to tropical drinks, etc which is perhaps I think not what was intended. Just a thought, I haven’t made this recipe but I intend to try it this way.
Thanks for this! Tried the 2 min chicken noodles with Bok Choy. I didnt drain the soup and I lessened the oyster sauce (to make it less salty). Love it! Can’t wait to try the laksa next!