Lunch-time Delight: Korean Noodle Stir Fry

Hurrying home from my last class of the day before the Easter long-weekend, my mind was racing. Yeah! I'm finally free (well, for the next 4 days) from the burden of having to use my mind :P Well, my sisters decided that they would have cup-o-noodles today... because I "deprived" them (their words) of eating it the other day, when I prepared the soup and Sweet-potato bread. I wasn't particularly fond of the thought of eating wax-covered, styrofoam encased, under-cooked, cup-noodles so... I whipped up a creation of my own. Inspired by the thought of noodles, I decided that I'd do a stir-fry version, and I ended up with this...

Korean Noodle Stir Fry

Serves 2

Ingredients

- 150g dried egg noodles

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 shallot, minced

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 tsp ginger, minced

- 1/2 medium onion, sliced into semicircles

- 1/3 cup zucchini, julienned

- 1/3 cup cabbage, chopped

- 1/2 tomato, diced

- 3 heaping tbsp soy bean paste (doenjang)

- 2 tsp soy sauce

- A handful of cooked shrimp (frozen & defrosted)

- 1/4 cup of sliced meat (I used pork, but chicken or beef can work)

Method

1. Boil egg noodles and cook until al dente. Once cooked, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry onions, garlic, ginger and shallots until fragrant.

3. Add in tomato, zucchini and cabbage, continuing to fry until zucchini is slightly tender.

4. Add in bean paste, and stir in soy sauce. Continue to mix until well incorporated. Stir in the shrimp, meat and egg noodles; cook until heated through.

5. Dish out and serve!

This actually turned out to be an unexpected treat. I really enjoyed the fragrant taste of the soy bean paste, and it added a hint of spiciness to the dish as well. My mom came home just after I had prepared this dish (that makes plenty for 2 people) and she was starving. Yeah! The perfect person to try out my new creation. She liked the spice of the paste as well, but couldn't quite figure out what it was until I told her. Just a month ago, she had complained that we would never finish all of the paste... but using it in this dish, I showed her that we could do it!

Click on the link for more information on soybean paste (doenjang).