Asian style rice noodles with minced meat and vegetables

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 200 g rice noodles
• 1 tbsp, heaped miso paste
• 1 tbsp chicken broth powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 pinch of chili flakes
• 1 liter of water
• 400 g minced beef
• 2 tbsp sake or dry sherry
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pinch of chili flakes
• 1 large leek(s)
• 200 g shiitake mushroom(s) or brown mushrooms
• 2 m.-large carrot(s)
• 1 m.-large bell pepper(s), red
• ¼ small head of pointed cabbage, alternatively 200 g mung bean sprouts or pea pods
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 large leek(s)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 piece(s) ginger or galangal, walnut-sized
• cardamom
• possibly lemongrass, lemon leaves, Thai basil, roasted nuts

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

variable and quick to prepare

Mix the minced meat with sake, soy sauce, garlic, and chili flakes and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Then fry the minced meat in a pan with a little oil. Don’t crumble too small, then keep warm. Cook the rice noodles in boiling water (without salt) for 5-6 minutes according to the package instructions, until al dente. Refresh with cold water and then drain in a sieve. Make a strong broth with the miso paste, chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili flakes, and one liter of water and keep it simmering. Finely slice the carrots and bell peppers. Chop the shiitake mushrooms and cut the cabbage into thin strips. Grate the ginger, flatten the garlic with a knife, and finely chop. Finely chop the spring onion. Save some of the green part for later decoration. Chop the cardamom. First, briefly fry the spring onion, garlic, and ginger in a large pan with oil. Then add the carrots and bell peppers, followed after a few minutes by the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are sautéed, add the cabbage and fry everything until well browned, but don’t let it become soft. Add half a ladleful of broth and season with the spiced sauces and chili flakes. The vegetables should still have some bite. Add the drained rice noodles to the very hot broth for 2 minutes. Then remove them and divide them between two plates. Don’t throw away the broth! Place the vegetables on top of the rice noodles and then the minced meat. Now pour the hot broth over the food with a ladleful. The spiced sauces, ginger, and chili flakes give the dish plenty of flavor. Finally, garnish with spring onion rings and/or cardamom. Variations: You can use minced pork, shrimp, fish balls, or tofu, and of course, choose any vegetables you like. I always try to add some variety to the food. Root vegetables, mushrooms, cabbage, or mung bean sprouts should always be included, though. If you like, you can cook a handful of fermented black beans or roasted peanuts/cashews with the vegetables. If you don’t like cardamom, you should try Thai basil. I can’t really assign this quickly prepared dish to any one cuisine. I’ve found it at buffets in Thailand, Malaysia, and China, and I’ve tried to recreate it in Germany. There, you simply help yourself to the cold ingredients, put everything in a bowl, and pour hot broth on top. The broth can also be prepared without miso paste, but the flavor is more intense that way. Sometimes I add a piece of lemongrass or lemon leaves, but please remove these later.