Here’s another Filipino basic that is great for making use of leftovers, or when in need of a quick no-nonsense meal. I start out here with leftover pieces and gravy from a soy-braised round steak. Store-bought rotisserie chicken, stuffed wontons, fried pork chops, are all fair game.
Oil for cooking (your choice — these days I use coconut or olive oil or a mixture of the two)
Several cloves garlic, crushed and peeled (minced if you like)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1-inch piece gingerroot, peeled, crushed, minced
Pre-cooked meat of your choice, chopped into bite-sized pieces — I had ~1 cup or so here of the steak mentioned above + its leftover gravy
Salt and/or fish sauce and/or soy sauce to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups water, meat or poultry broth or vegetable broth
Noodles of your choice — egg noodles are excellent, like the ones you can get fresh at the Asian store, but dried noodles will work too, as will any Italian pasta. I used organic egg-free Ramen noodles in this one.
Toppings, any or all of these:
– hard boiled egg, chopped or sliced
– crushed chicharon (pork rinds)
– fried minced garlic
– fried or caramelized onions
– chopped chives or green onions
And even things like
– chopped pickled things such as kimchi or pickled radish
– quick pickles like shredded carrots or cucumber
would work here.
Even crunchy BACON! Bacon makes everything better. 🙂
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic until softened, then add onions. Cook, stirring, until limp. Add ginger and continue to stir until fragrant. Add meat pieces, give everything a good stir to coat the meat with the flavors, then add broth. Bring to a boil and add noodles. (Noodles can be pre-cooked, or cooked in the broth. I prefer cooking in the broth so they soak the flavors as they cook. Do note that if using dried noodles they will tend to absorb much of the broth, so adjust accordingly.) Cook noodles, stirring frequently, until done. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot with choice of toppings. That’s it! You’re done!
The traditional Filipino accompaniment to something like this is siopao. Maybe I’ll do that one of these days, as the kids have been begging.
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