There is nothing more satisfying than devouring a steaming bowl of noodles. I’ve tasted hundreds of regional noodle dishes over the years while eating my way through Asia and find comfort in wolfing down each succulent strand.
This noodle bowl is easy to whip up at home, offering a perfect mashup of my fave flavours and textures. Vietnamese rice noodles are tossed in a spicy sesame and peanut sauce and topped with homemade pickles and kimchi, slices of Korean BBQ pork, a handful of fresh herbs, chopped peanuts, and a generous juicing of lime.
Pickle Ingredients
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 cups thinly sliced English cucumber
Pickle Directions
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add cucumber slices and stir. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of heavy duty paper towels, pressing down until towel is saturated with liquid and in direct contact with the cucumbers. Let rest 10 minutes, then transfer cucumbers to a sealable container. Top up with liquid and discard the rest. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Korean BBQ Pork Ingredients
1 lb pork (chops or tenderloin work best)
3 tablespoon Korean chili paste
2 tablespoon Korean chili flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon canola oil
Korean BBQ Pork Directions
In a small mixing bowl combine chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and honey, mix well. In a large mixing bowl combine pork with the sauce, and mix well to coat all the pork slices with the sauce evenly. Drizzle oil to the skillet and bring it over medium-high heat. Place pork over the skillet and when they sizzle, start tossing everything to cook evenly all the way or until the pork is fully cooked, about 3-5 minutes.
Sesame Peanut Noodle Bowl Ingredients
3/4 pound dried rice noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon peanut butter
juice of one lime
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Chili-garlic paste, to taste
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
A handful of chopped fresh herbs, such as mint or cilantro
Sesame Peanut Noodle Bowl Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well. Drizzle with a tiny splash of toasted sesame oil to keep them from sticking until dressed.
Whisk tahini and peanut butter in the bottom of a small bowl, then whisk in soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic and chile-garlic paste to taste until smooth. Toss sauce with cold noodles.
