My first encounter with noodles was in 2006 when I first came to Gauteng. No questions asked this was an easy meal. As much as everyone enjoyed them, I hated the little flavors that came in the pack. Please keep in mind that I am a fussy eater and not everything, everyone has is appealing to me. So cooking those in the microwave still left them feeling uncooked for me and not tasty.
I had to come up with an appealing way to have them. Moreover, by accident I soaked them in hot water and found that after leaving them out longer did not require cooking. Since I did not like the pack flavors, I opted to eat them with my meat or plain gravy. Over the years, I have move from different brands and settled on the Woolworths brand. With our love for k-dramas I tried the ramen and fell in love with them. The Korean ramen has a few interesting flavors I actually enjoy them compare to previous ones.
More recently, I came across the Udon. Not only are they tasty, but they are equally filling and as much as they are noodles, they taste more like pasta. Light spaghetti is what I like to call them since they more stable but still light. Many noodles break easy yet this hold their shape.
"Udon are chewy Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, water, and salt, typically served in a simple dashi-based broth. They’re thicker than buckwheat soba noodles—typically two to four millimeters—and can be either flat or rounded. Udon dough can be difficult to knead, and some swear by stomping on the dough to relax it. The earliest iteration of udon noodles likely originated in China and were introduced to Japan during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). The original udon may have been closer to a dumpling than a noodle, and in some parts of Japan, udon is still cut into squares rather than the long strands that became standard by the early fourteenth century."https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-udon-noodles
Traditionally made at home, udon began to be sold in specialty stalls after the popularity of commercial in the seventeenth century. Today, udon is eaten throughout Japan but especially in the south, from Osaka to Kyushu. There is a variety of Udon noodles that one can enjoy in japan and my dish is something that is widely shared on the net. You can use vegetables that are available in your home.
Now this is something that is equaly shared in our home and we have it as part of our meal. as much as my children love the pack noodles, they still enjoy this dish since i add in a lot or nutrients. And i find that they eat more vegetables while having this dish.
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME: 10 mins
COURSE: Main Course
CUISINE: Japanese
SERVINGS 2
INGREDIENTS
200g pre-cooked Udon noodles (Woolworths)
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 Robot Peppers
125g button mushrooms
3 Colore Peppers
1 onion diced
3 tbsp harissa paste
100g broccoli
Half a cup hot water
1 tsp smoked spanish paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Loosen the noodles by soaking in a bowl of hot water for 2- 3 minutes, drain and set aside.
2. In a microwave dish, add washed broccoli with a bit of water, steam according to microwave setting, and set aside.
3. Prepare the vegetables by Chopping onion into small cubes, slice peppers into thin strips then cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Lastly, cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
4. I personally like to cook the chicken separately and set aside. To cook the chicken simply spice it with the harissa paste and fry on the pan until cook. Watch not to let the chicken dry.
5. Meanwhile in a large nonstick pan, heat the oil and cook the mushroom for 4 – 5 minutes until tender. Sauté the onion together with peppers until the onion is translucent, add the noodles together with the harissa paste & smoked paprika. Stir the noodles while slowly adding a spoon of water. You will not be using the whole cup of water, but having a full cup helps the water to sit hot until use. Then add the broccoli and chicken at the end and continue frying for 3 minutes until cooked but still firm to the bite. The vegetables will reduce in volume by a half.
6. Season with salt and pepper just before taking off the heat and serve with chives of spring onion. The spring onion is optional.
Tip:
For a spicy version, you can use cayenne pepper to get the heat.
Ingredients used
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