Wasabi-Udon Noodles with Crispy Chicken

There is no denying it. This is not a pretty dish to look at, but for what it lacks in beauty, the flavored noodles make up for in flavor. It was good, but I would change a few things the next time I make it. The changes are noted below.

Udon are thick Japanese wheat flour noodles; thicker than Ramen or Soba noodles.

I buy them fresh in a hermetically sealed packet (usually found in the refrigerated produce section of the market.) They only take minutes to prepare, as basically they are just reheated in boiling water or stock/broth for 2 to 3 minutes. Many times the noodle packages will contain a broth packet of various flavors, I reserved that for another use because I wanted to try

THIS recipe from Sam Choy

I'm a longtime fan of Sam's! You may want to look around at his recipe archive on that site, there are some great recipes there.

The recipe involves simply boiling the noodles for the 2 to 3 minutes to heat and soften them.

In the meantime a teaspoon of minced garlic is sauteed in one tablespoon of butter in a medium size skillet. The wasabi paste and stock ingredients are added (a tablespoon and a half each, of Soy Sauce, and Dashi ), then the noodles are tossed to coat in the sauce.

The noodles are plated and topped with corn-starch dipped and fried chicken pieces. Sam uses thighs, I used slices of boneless, skinless breasts. Then finished with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.

I also added some crispy, sliced shallot rings, and a couple of scallion slivers for color.

What I would do differently next time:

I would definitely make this again, however I think I would prefer serving it with some medium-sized grilled shrimp, or grilled salmon, or maybe even some slices of Teriyaki Chicken, as I just didn't think the crispy chicken added much to the dish.

Steamed broccoli, or some carrot, red bell pepper or snow peas would also make a welcome addition. In other words, I thought the dish could use some other ingredients to make it more interesting. :)

The sauce for the Wasabi-Udon Noodles is fabulous though, and I look forward to making this again, with a few changes to the added ingredients. The sauce would also be excellent on spaghetti or angel-hair pasta.

~~~~~~~

And for my Dish-Disease partners~

Here's a close-up of my dishes from the photos. They are by the Italian manufacturer, Vietri and the pattern is "Foglia", or leaf. I like this shape because it is slightly concave and holds any extra sauce or dressing, etc. very nicely:

Plum Pudding Kitchen; Foglia pattern link

I have a difficult time finding Vietri in my area, so I order through Plum Pudding Kitchen in Aiken, South Carolina.

I've ordered several sets of Vietri dishes through their store/internet site and have been very pleased with their customer service and excellent packing (a concern because I'm a long way from South Carolina!) I recommend them if you cannot locate a Vietri dealer near you.

They carry a full line of Vietri, but they also offer other lines besides Vietri. Here is a link to their main page if you would like to see more:

Plum Pudding Gourmet Kitchen Store