Spicy Asian Noodle Soup with Mushrooms
Serves 4
Adapted from New York Times Cooking
3 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, or 1 small white onion, diced
Salt
Pepper
1½ pounds mixed mushrooms, such as maitake, oyster, cremini, and shiitake, torn into bite-size pieces
1-2 fresh chili peppers, such as Fresno or jalapeno, thinly sliced (can replace with ¾ teaspoon red-pepper flakes)
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
8-10 ounces noodles, such as udon, soba, ramen, or rice, cooked to al dente according to its packaging (cooking to al dente is important as it will go into the broth once they are cooked, so you don’t want them to be over cooked and too soft)
2 cups fresh herbs, such as cilantro, mint, chives, parsley, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Sesame seed oil, for garnish
Heat a large pot, or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add olive oil and let it get hot. Add garlic and shallots, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots start to turn glossy and brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and half of the chili pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, have released most of their moisture, and have turned golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Add ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup rice vinegar, and 8 cups of water to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Continue simmering for an additional 15-20 minutes, until all of the flavors have blended well. Feel free to let it simmer for longer, as this will only help blend all of the flavors more. Season with more soy sauce and rice vinegar, to taste.
Add the cooked noodles to the pot. Stir them into the broth and let them soak for 1-2 minutes.
To serve, divide up the broth, noodles, and mushroom and ladle them into individual bowls. Top with remaining chili pepper, herbs, sesame seeds, and sesame seed oil.
Enjoy!
