Diner-esque Noodles

I refuse to stop talking about noodles. That's right; I must express my love. But let me set some background at least. Awhile back, I was wandering around a new section of Greenwich Village after discovering that my building did not, in fact, house a hidden laundry room that I was simply having trouble finding. Without a proper laundry bag, I was unabashedly wandering around the city, totting my gigantic suitcase on wheels. On my way to the self-proclaimed "Chinese Laundry," (not really a requirement I would demand), I passed Grey Dog Coffee Shop (famous "Jesus-worthy" cookies), the Non-Imperialist Book Shop (extensive collection of Bob Dylan lit.), and the unassuming, almost plain-fronted Noodle Bar.

The inside of Noodle Bar is small with a wrap-around diner-style counter and a couple tables, which expand out to open doors when the weather is pleasant. While you munch away, you can watch the spectacle as chefs battle blue-flamed woks. Creative sections of the menu advertise small tapas-like plates (Kimchee Pancakes), cold noodles (Teriyaki Salmon Soba), wok noodles (Pad Thai), and broth noodles (Tom Yum Bouillabaisse). You can order from an extensive variety of teas with your meal or have a juice box. Flavors include lychee, pineapple, and mango. Best of all, the food is very reasonable, $7-10 for a substantial dish.

Unpretentious yet creative, flavorful, and packed with fresh ingredients, Noodle Bar is basically an ideal restaurant for a single diner like me. I had the Bee Hong Goreng, rice vermicelli with egg, bean sprouts, snow peas, and more, alongside a slew of other diners popping in for a quick meal. Check it out:

Noodle Bar
26 Carmine St.
New York, NY 10014

Here are some of my favorite recipes for noodle-tastic, Asian-inspired meals:

Cold Sesame Noodles

Hot and Sour Shrimp Lo Mein

Mandarin Noodles with Sauteed Tenderloin and Vegetables

Pad Thai

Slurp

I've got a thing for noodles; spaghetti, vermicelli, lo mein, almost clear rice noodles, soba, and especially, udon. The Japanese udon is a wheat noodle and gloriously thick, absorbing the flavors of it's honored dish, Udon Noodle Soup. Feast your eyes on the most mouth-watering pictures I've seen of udon. In my mind, udon noodle soup truly reaches perfection with the addition of tempura, pictured here (the noodles in this soup are soba but I couldn't resist the beautiful picture, my apologies).

I picked up some delicious tempura udon on the way home on Tuesday. Thinking about it, tempura is truly magical. It's technically deep-fried seafood, often shrimp, or vegetables, but the result is seldom greasy and perfectly crispy, unlike so many other manifestations of fried food in America. Rather than the boring potato, tempura carrots, yams, squash, and green beans are simply scrumptious. Make some Tempura Broccoli Florets or Crispy Onion Flowers and no sane person will turn up their nose at these vegetables!

A mixture of tempura, shrimp and vegetables, should be served alongside a good Udon Noodle Soup, so that each piece can be dipped into the hot broth and quickly gobbled up. A variety of vegetables, including mushrooms, seaweed, and scallions, can be added to the udon noodle soup. In many restaurants, a half-moon slice of fish cake called kamaboko is served on top of the soup. If making udon soup at home, use miso soup for the broth (you can buy miso paste at any Asian supermarket). Remember, Japanese custom actually encourages loud slurping of udon noodles!

Udon Noodles

Ingredients

4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 Egg yolk
Cold water
Additional flour

Directions

Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. Add egg yolk and enough water to make a stiff paste. Knead thoroughly. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let it stand for 30 min. Sprinkle board and rolling pin with additional flour. Roll out dough until it is paper thin. Fold into a long roll and cut into strips about 1/10 inch wide. When unrolled, the strips should be at least 12 inches long. Cook 3-4 min in boiling salted water.