In the Kitchen With Ricky: Stop and smell these tasty miso noodles

With all the special food days and national months, it’s difficult to try to pick and choose which ones I want to celebrate. Who knew there were so many? To see what I’m talking about, google national food days, and the lists go on and on.

March is National Noodle Month, and it’s a national month most of us wouldn’t mind celebrating. Who doesn’t love noodles? Dry, saucy or brothy, a big bowl of noodles can warm the soul and help us to stop and smell the noodles!

This easy and tasty noodle recipe is perfect for a quick meal or side dish and comes together in no time with ingredients already most likely in your pantry and fridge. Toss in items from your veggie bin, changing it up from each preparation and helping to use what you already have.

If there’s one item from the ingredient list that you don’t already have, it is probably miso. Miso is most often found in the refrigerated produce section of a grocery store and is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking. It provides a salty umami flavor and is made from a mixture of soybeans, grains, salt and koji (a beneficial bacteria that helps to safely ferment the mixture).

Miso can be used in a variety of sauces, dressings, batters and soups, and I’ve even made brownies and cookies using miso for a salty sweet treat. Miso lasts a very long time in the fridge, so next time you spot some at the market, grab a container, and give these noodles a try.

Not everyone may have noodles in the pantry, and noodles are different from pasta. However, using pasta interchangeably will work fine, as I give you the option in the ingredient list below. Noodles differ from pasta in the fact that they can be added to soups and stews without breaking down, unlike pasta, which tends to overcook and become mush.

Pasta is always made from wheat, and if you’re in Italy, you can bet that is durum wheat. Noodles can be made from a variety of sources, including mung beans, potato, buckwheat, egg and rice. Pasta also comes in a variety of shapes and sizes – and all with specific names and origins.

Miso Noodles

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons white miso paste

2 tablespoons tahini or creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon Fletchers hot sauce, or another chili sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon vinegar (white, rice or apple cider)

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 green onions, chopped

Pasta water to thin the sauce, as desired

For the noodles:

½ pound noodles (rice, soba or buckwheat) or dry pasta (linguini, spaghetti or angel hair)

Additions:

Thinly sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, green onion and/or shredded cabbage

Sautéed mushrooms, squash, carrots and/or peppers

Blanched veggies such as spinach, broccoli or snap peas

Toasted sesame seeds, optional

Cook the pasta until your desired doneness is achieved. Drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and well incorporated. Taste and season the sauce to your liking, thinning it out with the reserved pasta water so the sauce will evenly coat the cooked pasta.

Mix the noodles with the sauce until they are well coated. Add in the cucumber, cilantro and sautéed mushrooms or whatever vegetables you’re using.

Combine well and portion into dishes. Top with additional chopped green onions and/or cilantro leaves and toasted sesame seeds, if using.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Local award-winning chef and Rind and Wheat owner Ricky Webster can be reached at ricky@rindandwheat.com. Follow Webster on Instagram @rickycaker.