Noods

My primary go-to when making lunch or dinner are noodles. They’re easy to prepare and there are so many toppings and combinations to make a different dish every time. Sometimes, I use plain noodles, like a ramensari, and play around with the broth. Most recently, I found a few bags of half-used dry bihon noodles and decided to clear out the cabinet.

Put together a seafood broth and threw in some squid rings, fish cakes, and lobster balls. Added the noodles and mixed it in until everything was incorporated.

For a first attempt, at least I got the noodles cooked, but it did turn our a bit bland. When working with the leftovers the next day, adding a bit more oyster sauce and soy sauce improved the taste.

Now, on nights when I’m lazy or in a time crunch, there’s always the reliable instant ramen.

One of the favorites, especially in the summer, is the doongji bibim naengmyeon by Nongshim.

A cold noodle dish that, somehow, the innovators at Nongshim managed to make into an instant variety. Basically, cook the noodles, rinse them in cold water, then mix with the spicy sauce. A really tasty and refreshing bowl of noodles.

Another personal favorite is the buldak bokkeummyeon, or “fire noodles,” by Samyang. The spice of the noodles causes a good amount of sweat along with a runny nose but it is so worth it.

I like to mix the noodle with fish cakes, sometimes tteok, or rice cakes, and top it with a sunny-side up egg.

A similar treatment is done for standard ramen, along with the addition of other toppings such as lobster balls and dumplings.

It takes ramen to another level, with lots of added flavors and textures.

One of the recipes I had been looking to perfect over the past few years has been for my rabokki, essentially a tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) with ramen noodles.

I love the spice of the sauce and tasting the noodles, rice cakes, and fish cakes together is so delicious.

After how many attempts, I can whip one up in about 20 minutes.

Now, my ultimate favorite: jjajngmyeon.

Jjajngmyeon, or noodles with black bean sauce, is a delicious, savory bowl of noodles. I also like to add rice cakes, along with gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) for some added spice.

With the variety of dishes and the ease of preparation, there’s a reason noodles are a tasty go-to.

Quick meals and leftovers

Being back in Bacolod City, eating out is a more limited affair as the selection of enticing restaurants declines exponentially as compared to the last couple destinations visited. Having lived here since 2012, there are only a few places that reliably serve good food—there’s only so much chicken inasal one can eat.

Over the years, I’ve seen restaurants come and go, many times, it’s due to a decline in the quality of their food. Otherwise, a lot of the popular spots in town are merely serving knockoffs of trendy dishes seen online and these imitations often look similar but the taste it nowhere near the original.

Now, while I do find the local supermarkets and grocery stores here a bit lacking, there is enough to put together decent meals at home. In addition, thanks to some local bakeries producing fresh bread (albeit inconsistently), I have been able to enjoy a favorite for breakfast: toasties. A couple years back, during the peak of the pandemic, I penned a blog about my “obsession with toasties.”

After picking up a loaf of (presumably) potato bread, took two thick slices and cooked them with eggs, jalapeños, and lots of mozzarella cheese.

After several previous attempts, I finally figured out the right amount of cheese to add in order to get a good cheese pull. Plus, it served as a nice balance with the spice from the jalapeños.

As much as I would like to make this a habit, good bread isn’t always readily available.

It’s been said on this blog before, buldak bokkeummyeon (the so-called “fire noodles”) is one of my favorite go-tos. The spice is out of this world and, despite the flames, there is still a great flavor coming through. I usually get a pack of the original or 2X spicy, and always put it together with all the fixings.

I usually toss the noodles with rice cakes (tteok), fish cakes (eomuk), a splash of sesame oil at the end, and crushed seaweed on top. The combination is everything! In addition, there’s always a good amount of danmuji on the side—it definitely helps combat the heat.

Also had some fried dumplings and gimari. A complete meal.

One of the local supermarkets began selling different flavors of instant noodles by Doll, a food company based in Hong Kong. Definitely had to give it a try when they offered a preserved vegetable variety.

Cooked the noodles with fish cakes and lobster balls, then topped it with scallions and sesame seeds. Served alongside dumplings and kimchi, it’s one of my favorite dinners. If not for the sodium content, I would probably have this every day.

On another occasion, we had a massive batch of bihon. The classic Filipino noodle dish is delicious but, after a while, it needs to be revved up a bit.

Made some scrambled eggs, tossed in some Chinese sausage, then threw in the leftover noodles. Meanwhile, added some sesame oil and white pepper before topping it with sesame seeds.

It was a whole new dish.

Recently, for whatever reason, I have been inundated with recipes for tomato egg stir-fry. It’s a given, at some point, it needed to be made. Looked over one of the recipes and, as usual, got the basic idea and then cooked it to my personal taste.

Started by cooking up some basic scrambled eggs. After removing it from the pan, threw in some chopped scallions and sliced tomatoes. Allowed it to cook through a bit before adding water and covering the pan to let it simmer.

Once the tomatoes softened, smashed them a little to release the juice, then let it simmer further.

At the end, added a corn starch slurry to thicken up the sauce—along with a bit of sesame oil for flavor—then, threw it on top of a big bowl of rice.

It was a successful first try and am pretty sure it will become a regular during Lent.

Frankly, when it comes to cooking, I make about the same few items over and over again. I also give similar treatment when ramping up leftovers. Regardless, it’s still fun and a nice break from the same orders from the handful of local restaurants I enjoy.

Ushering in the Year of the Ox

Ahead of this year’s Lunar New Year celebration, brought out the panda plush I bought during a layover at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. He’s been the official house mascot for the holiday over the past couple years. I spotted him wearing a brilliant red changshan while browsing one of the terminal’s souvenir shops. He was an impulse buy after picking up some refrigerator magnets and a t-shirt.

In the days heading into the celebration, brainstormed ideas on what should be served to ring in the Year of the Ox.

First and foremost, there needs to be a noodle dish. Noodles on Lunar New Year represent longevity and prosperity, and decided on pansit. Then, after digging through the refrigerator and freezer, went with deep-fried pork belly and dumplings.

Set the table for the day’s feast and ensured there was enough space for everything.

As with every meal, a plate of kimchi was put down first to accompany the meal.

The first dish completed was the pansit.

The traditional Filipino noodle dish was tossed with pork, sausage, and shredded cabbage. The noodles are a favorite regardless of the day and always welcome when present on the dining room table. Honestly, always love any noodles, but these are especially savory.

To accompany the fried dumplings, put together a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. In the end, sprinkled sesame seeds on top.

The dumplings, as usual, came out perfectly crusty on the outside and hot on the inside.

In our house, the deep-fried pork belly first came as an experiment while making fried chicken. After cooking up a batch of crispy fried chicken, battered up some sliced pork belly and it was a hit. So, when trying to come up with an idea for New Year lunch, it was definitely on the mind.

The meal was a welcome greeting for the new Lunar New Year.

Hoping all readers enjoy prosperity in the new year (we all deserve something wonderful to make up for the previous year). 恭喜發財!

Scrounging around the kitchen

The work schedule typically leaves little time to mess around in the kitchen to put together a dinner. Often times, dinner is comprised of leftovers from lunch; often reimagined to add some variety to the day. Other days, there is nothing and it comes to down digging around the kitchen to see what is available.

An important priority is to always having noodles on hand.

There are both flat varieties and the typical long and thin style that one can just throw in a pot of boiling water. Once cooked, it’s just mixing it in a bowl with whatever ingredients. Usually go for some kind of mix of soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, green onions, chili flakes – unfortunately, have never actually written down the specific combinations and am unsure which mix makes for the tastiest noodles (but, really, any combination is tasty).

Living in a city that rarely has fresh vegetables on hand – the supermarket is usually stocked with shrink-wrapped produce that look like they’ve had the rotten parts sliced off – always have canned vegetables available. Throwing in some corn, asparagus, or mushrooms can make for a good meal.

Have also used them to put together side dishes, such as sautéing in a variety of sauces or folding them into an egg.

Playing around with sweet, spicy, and sour has sometimes resulted in a regrettable dish that must be consumed (can’t let anything go to waste); however, most of the time, even if it comes out bland, it’s still enjoyable.

Many times, it is a big surprise to find out what can come from scrounging around the kitchen. What would typically begin as a tired evening out of the newsroom and a listless hunt for dinner becomes a creative evening of experimenting with flavors and cooking purely through taste and smell – how some cooks believe it should be done. Have never been the best at following recipes, but can definitely put together something flavorful and filling on the fly.