Recipe: On-the-Fly Noodles with Shrimp

ON-THE-FLY NOODLES WITH SHRIMP

"It's eight P.M., cold and windy and as dark as midnight. You've just arrived home. The dog must be walked, the kids are starving, and you have a work deadline. Take heart. Comfort-a warming bowl-is not far off. Admittedly, you have to have a few possibly atypical pantry ingredients on hand. But, if you've been cooking regularly from this book, you already know the value of having sake, mirin, and shichimi toga, rashi in the cupboard. While the nutritional value of this dish is remarkably high, it is its flavor and ease of preparation that secure its popularity. Water never tasted so good!"

6 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin, sweet sherry, or sweet vermouth
Pinch of Shichimi Togarashi (see recipe)
12 ounces dried soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 cup cooked chopped spinach
6 jumbo shrimp, in shells but deveined
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 scallions, white and green parts, cut into 2-inch pieces
FOR SERVING:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil hot chili oil, to taste
1/4 cup white sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Combine the 6 cups water, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and shichimi togarashi in a large nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer to cook off the alcohol and let the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in another large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the noodles, return to a boil, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander. Divide the noodles and the spinach among 6 serving bowls.

Add the shrimp, chicken, onion, and scallions to the simmering broth and cook until the shrimp and chicken are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the broth mixture from the heat. Add 1 shrimp to each serving of noodles and spinach, then add chicken and vegetables, dividing them evenly. Ladle the broth into the bowls, then drizzle each serving with lemon juice, sesame Oil, and hot oil. Garnish the bowls with the sesame seeds and serve.

Serves 6 as a main bowl
Source: BowlFood Cookbook by Lynne Aronson and Elizabeth Simon