Ok, so remember how a while back I mentioned that little voice in my head that once or twice a week talks me into ordering sushi? Well, a few weeks ago I was eating said sushi and had a thought...
I wonder what I could do with this extra ginger and wasabi....
I know neither of those are things that everyone uses. So you may immediately dismiss this recipe as just being "not your thing". Just trust me on this one -- It's pretty fierce.
So last week I saved my wasabi and pickled ginger that came alongside my spicy tuna roll. I put them in their own little plastic containers and sealed them up. The great thing about both of these ingredients is that they keep for quite a while! Ginger is pickled. It ain't going anywhere. And wasabi is just a powder that most don't recognize because it's always moistened when served. So don't worry if your reserved wasabi is a little dry or grainy when you take it back out for use -- it's natural for that moisture to want to evaporate!
I knew I had those in my refrigerator and was dead-set on using them... and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
About a month ago, I caught an old episode of "Good Eats" on FN -- Alton's theme escapes me, but he did feature this technique: Pouch Cooking.
I was immediately drawn to the simplicity and cleanliness of it, so logged it for future experimentation. Thus was born the following recipe for Chinese Chicken Noodle Pouches!
Ingredients
1 buckwheat soba ramen noodle pack***
1 tsp wasabi
1 tbs pickled ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic
4 medium shitake mushrooms
1 small handful snow peas
1 small handful wax beans
1 small red bell pepper
1 6-8 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Tear 2 sheets of foil, about 14 inches long. Place on a cookie sheet, stacked so they run perpendicular to each other. Place uncooked noodles in the center. Lightly sprinkle with a very small amount of the seasoning from the packet in the ramen. Break up the wasabi into three small (pea sized) chunks and place on top of the noodles. Spread the ginger on top, followed by the red pepper flakes. Pull up the sides of the foil to create a bowl of sorts.
Mince the garlic next and add. Finely slice the mushrooms (caps only -- shitake stems are usually too tough and not that tasty) and the bell pepper. Add to the packet. Trim the wax beans and add next, along with the snow peas. Lightly season the chicken breast with the ramen seasoning packet, then chop into good sized chunks and add. Close up the foil, leaving just a small opening.
In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce and stock. Pour into the pouch through the small opening you left. Don't seal the packet all the way -- a small opening will allow steam to escape. Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and open pouch. Let cool for a moment before emptying into a bowl and devouring!
Clean up -- It's not all that hard to throw foil away, right?
Cost -- about $6. The Soba Noodles were the most costly -- coming in at a whopping $1.19! Shitake mushrooms might make you a little frightened, but they are another thing that you can find loose and buy by the pound. I think they were selling at $4.99 per pound. Four shitake's cost me $1.02 - so don't be frightened! The chicken was in my freezer and my wasabi and ginger were free and on hand.
I mentioned before that this is a technique that you can use for all sorts of recipes. Vegetarian? Throw whatever veggies you want in and use vegetable broth -- vwah lah! Bored with the chicken? Use raw shrimp instead!
The point is: Don't be afraid to get creative. Surprise yourself! You'll be happy you did :-)
***Buckwheat Soba Ramen is something that I stumbled on in the Asian section of Whole Foods, right by the rice noodles and pre-made microwavable pad thai bowls (ick). It really is taking that collegiate classic to a whole new level! Look for it!***
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