Category

Pasta and Noodles

EntreesGluten FreePasta and NoodlesTraditional Korean Recipes

Healthy Ramen Noodles

I know, I know–“healthy” and “ramen” can’t coexist, right? Well, I was determined to find a way to enjoy ramen noodles without breaking nutritional bank, and decided that in these scenarios, less is more. Or, maybe, less is less? Either way, I wanted to create a super simple ramen recipe that has the least amount of ingredients as possible. And that is when my Homemade Soy Milk came to the rescue!! Yup, in case you missed it, I actually made my own soy milk (hence the name, “Homemade”!) and it was absolutely freaking GLORIOUS.

If you haven’t made this yet, RUN AND I MEAN RUN to your local Korean grocery store and pick up some dried soybeans ASAP so you can revel in the creamy deliciousness that is a no-additive, no-filler, only natural ingredients non-dairy milk that is truly the STUFF OF DREAMS. And then, you will be able to make this recipe. 🙂 Ok, even if you don’t make your own soy milk (I get it, like who really has the time (oh, but you really do…!)?), you can also make this with store bought soy milk (though I recommend getting Korean soy milk–it tastes 10x better).

Either way, this recipe has like five (5) ingredients:

  • Ramen noodles
  • Soy milk
  • Salt
  • Cucumber
  • Kimchi

Yup. That’s it. Unless you count water (which I don’t), then it’s six. Either way, this may be the most low maintenance recipe on this blog. You start cooking the ramen noodles like you would normally:

I even add in the dried packet of vegetables that’s included. Also, you can totally use gluten free ramen noodles for this, as well, to keep this entire recipe gluten free.

After cooking the noodles, remove them from the pot and place them in a large bowl. Add a little bit of the cooking liquid from your pot, which will help thicken your soy broth.

And then you pour in your beautiful soy milk. Just look at how it swirls with the noodle water and creates this gorgeous creamy sauce!!

For texture and flavor, I added some cucumber and kimchi. These are actually very typical garnishes to add to the traditional Korean noodle dish called “Kong Guksu” (which translates into soybean noodles). At first, I didn’t think I’d like eating noodles with cucumbers, but I was so so wrong. The cucumbers add a really refreshing note to this otherwise rich noodle dish and cut through some of the heaviness of the soy milk. The kimchi, of course, provides that pop of acid and heat that makes every mouthful interesting.

QUICK TIPS FOR YOUR HEALTHY RAMEN NOODLES

  • Use gluten free ramen noodles to keep this recipe entirely gluten free.
  • Utilize the dried vegetables that come with the ramen noodles, but save the soup packet for something else.
  • Make your own soy milk for the best results, but if you can’t, head over to the Korean grocery store and pick out Korean soy (they taste oh so delicious). Otherwise, use your favorite brand of soy milk and make sure to heat it up before pouring over your noodles.
  • Try and keep the salt to a minimum–this recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon, but if you could ditch the salt altogether, that’s great! Remember, you’ll get plenty of brine from the kimchi!
  • Do not go light on the cucumbers. This recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of julienned cucumbers, but you could easily add more–they taste so good with the broth.

Healthy and Creamy Ramen Noodles

A healthy and delicious ramen recipe utilizing homemade soy milk and fresh cucumber and kimchi that will take you less than 15 minutes to prepare.
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Equipment

  • small pot

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Bring 2 cups water to a boil and then add ramen noodles.
  • Add any dried vegetables that come with the package but NOT the soup mix.
  • Cook according to package instructions. In the meantime, heat your soy milk (on the stovetop or microwave) so that it is hot (not boiling).
  • Remove the noodles from the pot and add them to a large bowl.
  • Add about 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking liquid.
  • Next add soy milk and salt.
  • Garnish with julienned cucumber and kimchi.

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 16gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 2984mgPotassium: 489mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 537IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 331mgIron: 5mg
Keyword noodles, ramen, soy
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MainsPasta and NoodlesSoups, Stews, and Side DishesTraditional Korean Recipes

Kimchi Soondooboo Jeongol

Whenever you go to a Korean restaurant, there will be a section of the menu that’s devoted to hot pots or “jeongols.” They are cooked at the table and are designed to be shared by the table. I always loved getting budae jeongol (a large budae chigae) with my family or friends, so that I could have a bowl of stew with my rice and whatever “entree” I ordered. While most jeongols are “meat-centric,” I wanted to make something that was tofu forward, because I love silken tofu so much. I also had a jar of leftover kimchi that was just aching to be used, so I thought I’d revisit my epic kimchi-soondooboo mashup and make it jeongol style.

Think of this recipe as a mix between soondooboo and kimchi and budae chigae. You start out by infusing the oils (I used both olive oil and sesame oil) with some aromatics: onions, scallions, garlic, and gochugaru. Remember, watch the gochugaru so it doesn’t burn. If the gochugaru starts to turn brown, you will have a brown and bitter stew.

I add a healthy amount of kimchi. Now, for non-vegan kimchi, I always had to wait until the kimchi was super stinky. The thing is, vegan kimchi doesn’t really get that stinky (thanks to the elimination of fish sauce). So, in lieu of using smell as my guide for when kimchi is good for stewing, I just let the kimchi sit in my fridge for at least a week before adding it to my soup.

The other thing I like to add to my kimchi chigae (or stew) is gochujang. Some people don’t add any gochujang to their kimchi chigae, but I find that it adds a lovely deep smokiness and a hint of sweetness to my kimchi chigae. The thing with any stew, of course, is about developing layers of flavor. That’s why we start out with the aromatics, add the kimchi, and then hit it all with some gochujang–fermented soybean chili paste.

To ensure the broth is velvety and lovely, I like to use a good vegetable broth. If I don’t have any of my own on hand, I’ll just store bought. If you don’t have broth, you can, of course, use water. But, in my opinion, using a vegetable broth (one that you like) makes a humongous difference in flavor and consistency.

Finally, add the silken tofu. I always get asked “what are those white jiggly things?” when I make soondoboo chigae. “Soondooboo” means silken tofu (“dooboo” literally means tofu). Silken tofu tastes a lot like plain yogurt, only a little bit firmer and no real sourness. It’s a very bland flavor, but has the ability to take on the flavors around it. A lot of folks use silken tofu for their smoothies or as an egg replacer, but I’ve always just enjoyed the taste and texture of silken tofu, without using it as a stand-in for something else.

After adding the silken tofu, you get to have some fun! I took inventory of my freezer and fridge and picked a few things I wanted to add–ricecakes (the kind you use for tteokbokki), some dumplings, and some fresh noodles (the ones I didn’t use when I accidentally made tofu fettuccini). I grabbed a handful of fresh enoki mushrooms that I only just started falling in love with, before heading back to my pot. I also had a bag of frozen corn that I almost dumped into the stew, but decided I didn’t want to go overboard (literally–didn’t want to have my stew spilling over the edge!).

And then you just bring everything to a boil and let it do it’s thing for a few minutes, until the noodles are cooked, the ricecakes are soft, and the dumplings are not longer frozen.

Here are a few quick tips:

  • Keep an eye on your gochugaru, to make sure it doesn’t burn. Your stew should be a bright orange color–not brown. If it’s brown, that means you burned the gochugaru in the beginning, which will make it bitter.
  • Make sure to reserve some kimchi juice to add to the stew for extra kimchi flavor.
  • Use vegetable broth (homemade or store bought) in favor of water, for a richer and more dynamic flavor.
  • Use both gochujang and soy sauce to build multiple layers of flavor.
  • Do not overcook the stew–once the noodles and rice cakes are fully cooked, start eating. Otherwise, the kichi will become soggy and not fun. 🙁
  • Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free soy sauce and gluten free gochujang.

Kimchi Soondooboo Jeongol

5 from 2 votes
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Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and sesame oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
  • Add onions, scallions, and garlic and sautee until they become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add gochugaru and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add kimchi, zucchini, and gochujang, and stir until vegetables are evenly coated with sauce. Add soy sauce and vegetable broth, together with kimchi juice.
  • Spoon the silken tofu into the broth in chunks.
  • Add the ricecakes, dumplings, noodles, and enoki mushrooms. Bring the soup up to a boil and continue cooking at a gentle boil until the ricecakes are soft and the noodles are cooked.
  • Garnish with scallion greens before serving.

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Pasta and Noodles

Stir Fried Tofu Noodles

Like many good recipes, this one started with my mom. I was over at her house the other day, and she made me these amazing stir-fried mushrooms with shishito peppers. They were so delicious and simple, I had to try making them myself the next day. But of course, I also needed to add noodles to them, because you know, carbs. After successfully adding regular old wheat noodles, I wanted to try adding a bunch of bright veggies, to make the dish extra nutritious. Cue: kale, broccoli, and cabbage–my three favorite vegetables.

Although the recipe was looking insanely yummy and healthy, it didn’t seem entirely balanced as a one pan meal. There was hardly any protein in it. I went searching through my fridge for a box of tofu I could fry up–on the side–when I happened upon a packet of “Tofu Rolls” that I’d picked up the last time I was the Korean grocery store. I’d never used them before, but they looked interesting to me, and I’m always open to trying new tofu products (walk through the tofu section of an Asian grocery store and you will be AMAZED at the variety of textures), ever since I went to Korea and nearly sent back a bowl of noodles because I thought it had chunks of steak in it (it was actually tofu).

Since I was making a noodle dish, I thought it best to cut the tofu rolls into ribbons, so that they would be easy to slurp up with the noodles. I was quite surprised at how sturdy they were–they didn’t rip or tear as I cut into them and pulled them apart. And after unrolling them, I had what looked like a pile of beautiful fresh pasta. In fact, I was so impressed with their texture, I decided to ditch the wheat noodles I’d planned on boiling for the recipe and rely exclusively on my beautiful tofu “fettuccini.”

The sauce for these noodles was very simple–a classic TKV sauce, if you will: soy sauce, mirin, gochugaru, and a little maple syrup for some sweetness. The trick my mom taught me, though, was that you want to cook the mushrooms in the sauce, instead of sauteeing them in the beginning with the onions and garlic. You do have to cook down the sauce quite a bit so that the mushrooms fully absorb the flavors and while not becoming slimy. You’ll know it’s time to add the rest of the ingredients when the mushrooms start to turn dark brown.

So, how do the noodles taste, you ask? Like tofu noodles!! They are chewier and heavier than regular pasta, of course, since they tofu rolls weren’t necessarily designed to be eaten like noodles. But they slurp just like regular noodles do, and like every other kind of tofu you’ve ever eaten, they absorb the flavors around them. Overall, this was a highly nutritious, super healthy “pasta” recipe (that can be made gluten free if you use tamari sauce!) that I would go back to often as a quick and easy post- or pre-workout meal!

Anyhow, here are some things to remember as you make this dish:

  • Make sure to sautee the onions and garlic before adding the soy sauce and mirin.
  • Keep an eye on the gochugaru–it tends to burn easily, so don’t cook for longer than about 30 seconds. If it turns dark brown, you’ve burned it and the dish will taste bitter. 🙁
  • Cook the mushrooms in the soy sauce until they become very dark brown, to ensure they’ve absorbed all the flavors.

Stir Fried Tofu Noodles

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Ingredients
  

  • 8 tofu rolls
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red onion, julienned
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp gochugaru use less if too spicy
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped broccoli
  • 1/2 cup julienned carrot
  • 1/2 cup julienned cabbage
  • 1/2 cup julienned kale
  • 5 shishito peppers
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions
 

  • Slice each of the tofu rolls lengthwise into three (3) 1/3-inch rolls. Unroll them so they look like fettuccini.
  • Add olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat. Next, add onions and garlic and cook until the onions become translucent, about 3 minutes.
  • Add gochugaru and stir for about 30 seconds, and then add soy sauce and mirin and cook for an additional 1 minute. Then add mushrooms.
  • Cook mushrooms in soy sauce for approximately 3 minutes, until they start to turn brown. Then, add broccoli, carrots, cabbage, kale, and 1/2 cup water. Cook the vegetables in the broth for about 3 minutes, until cabbage and kale become soft.
  • Add the tofu "fettuccini" and incorporate the noodles into the vegetables and sauce. Add maple syrup and cook until the sauce reduces down completely, about 4 minutes, mixing the noodles so they are evenly covered in sauce.
  • Drizzle sesame oil over the noodles just before serving.
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Pasta and Noodles

Cabbage & Potato Pasta

Once more, this dish was inspired by yet another pasta dish featured in Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Specifically, the Milan episode, where he decides to treat his crew to Pizzoccheri, a pasta made primarily out of buckwheat flour, which is then dressed with cabbage, potatoes, garlic, cheese, and lots and lots of butter.

It’s meant to be eaten during the coldest months of winter, when you want some of the extra fat to keep you warm. The cabbage and potatoes are definitely “stick to your rib” types of ingredients, while the garlic infuses this dish with intense flavor. However, we are in spring here, in Chicago, and while I enjoy making my own pasta on occasion, I wanted to try making a dish that was a little bit easier to make, especially when we don’t have a lot of time on our hands. So, in lieu of the buckwheat pasta that Stanley so painstakingly rolled out for his guests, I decided to use penne, which, to me, mimicked the length and shape of the Pizzoccheri, and would also give the butter and cheese adequate purchase.

Pizzoccheri calls for cabbage that’s endemic to the region (savoy or “Milan” or “Lombardy” cabbage). Unfortunately, I could not find savoy cabbage in any of my local grocery stores, so I went with regular old cabbage. I also used yukon potatoes, as the waxier spud will ensure that the dish doesn’t get too mushy.

I also used about one quarter of the butter that’s typically used in the traditional recipe, to keep this pasta a lighter affair for a spring menu (though I look forward to December during which I will absolutely increase the butter content!). The key is cooking the butter at a very low temperature while the potatoes and pasta are cooking, so that your garlic is perfectly toasted when it’s time to sauce the pasta.

I made this for the first time for Easter Dinner and it was an absolute hit. I was so nervous that it wouldn’t go over well, but my casserole dish was spotless by the time dinner was over. The butteriness and the crunchy garlic, the creamy cheese, and silky cabbage all came together so beautifully, we couldn’t stop going back for more.

Cabbage and Potato Pasta

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cheese grated
  • 2 yellow potatoes cut into small cubes
  • 4 cups cabbage torn into 2 to 3-inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 13 oz penne
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 5 cloves garlic chopped

Instructions
 

  • Grate your cheese, chop your potatoes, and tear up your cabbage.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt, potatoes, and cabbage.
  • Your potatoes will need about 14 minutes to be fully cooked. Refer to the package instructions on your penne and add the penne to the same pot so that the potatoes and pasta will be finished cooking at the same time. (For example, if the box provides for a 12-minute cooking time, add your pasta to the pot 2 minutes after adding the potatoes and cabbage).
  • While the pasta and vegetables are cooking, add the butter and garlic to a small pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has completely melted, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. The garlic will eventually turn a toasted golden color.
  • When the pasta is cooked, drain the excess liquid completely. Add half the pasta, cabbage, potatoes to a casserole dish and then sprinkle with half the cheese.
  • Add the remaining half of the pasta, cabbage, and potatoes to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
  • Pour the butter and garlic over the top of the cheese.

Video

Keyword cabbage, pasta, potato
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FoodMainsPasta and NoodlesTraditional Korean Recipes

Creamy Vegan Ramen Noodles

I love ramen noodles or “lah-myun” in Korean. My father would make Shin lah-myun (a very popular kind of lah-myun) every Sunday morning, like clockwork. I would wake up to the mouthwateringly spicy scent of it wafting up all the way from the kitchen right up to my bedroom.

There’s currently a ramen “hack” gaining popularity in TikTok where you add an egg, some mayo, and the soup packet into a bowl and cook this “base” with the ramen noodles to create creamy ramen. And while it looks interesting, it’s definitely not vegan. It did put me in the mood for creamy ramen noodles, though, which is why I decided to create my own version.

I used two things to create the creamy consistency–Korean soy milk and doenjang (fermented soybean paste). I love Korean soy milk or “dooyoo,” as it imparts a nuttier and sweeter flavor than its Western counterparts. Doenjang also provides both creaminess and intense flavor. Add a little big of soy sauce and we are off to the races when it comes to fancifying this otherwise humble lah-myun dish. I also packed in a heap of my favorite veggies–carrots, onions, zucchini, and cabbage, to give it extra heartiness. Cause, you know, my least favorite thing about lah-myun is how it never makes you feel full.

Creamy Vegan Ramen Noodles

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2 people

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Add both olive oil and sesame oil to a large, deep pan over medium high heat. Add the packet of soup base to the pan and begin stirring, to ensure the spices do not burn, for 1 minute.
  • Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and doenjang and stir until the vegetables are coated. Deglaze the pan with the soy sauce and then add water.
  • Add the soy milk and stir.
  • Next, add the ramen noodles, together with the carrots, cabbage, zucchini, corn, and dumplings.
  • Add the silken tofu and break up with a spoon.
  • Cook until the noodles are done, stirring as necessary, around 4 to 5 minutes. Garnish with gyerranmari slices, chili, and scallion.
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MainsPasta and Noodles

Creamy Zucchini Spaghetti

My husband and I watched CNN’s new travel porn show, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. We were immediately swept back to our favorite place on earth, though, tbh, I’ve never been to Southern Italy. Still, just hearing people speak Italian against the backdrop of the Amalfi Coast had me immediately hooked.

Easily the most memorable part of the premier episode was when they visited Lo Scoglio, a small restaurant in the seaside village of Marina del Cantone on Amalfi Coast. There, Tucci raved about his favorite zucchini spaghetti, spaghetti alla nerano. It sounded too good to not try veganizing, and by the time the episode closed out of its final staggeringly beautiful scene, I had it all planned out.

This morning, over breakfast, I spied a lone box of cannelini beans that my husband didn’t know where to store in the pantry (and thus, of course, just left on the counter hoping it would spirit itself to its rightful location, I guess). And I thought, well wouldn’t it be nice to incorporate a little healthy protein and fiber into this dish? So, I decided to jazz this pasta dish up with some beans.

And in so doing, I created one of the creamiest pastas I’ve ever made–no coconut milk, no non-dairy creamers, though yes, I did add a knob of butter, mostly because Tucci decries the fact that he was originally told the recipe had no butter, only to discover he’d been bamboozled. Anyhow, I highly recommend this recipe for an excellent mid-week meal. Because I opted to bake the zucchini in lieu of frying it, there’s a lot less work (and mess) involved, while you still get just as much flavor!

Creamy Zucchini Spaghetti

5 from 2 votes
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2 people

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450° F.
  • Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch discs and place them into a large bowl. Add 1 tsp of salt and set aside for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini and place them onto a baking sheet. Do not overcrowd the sheet and make sure they are in one layer (use two sheets, if necessary). Drizzle with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Allow the zucchini to cool while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
  • Begin cooking spaghetti until al dente. In the meantime, chop up your garlic and parsley.
  • In smaller container (I used a steel pot), add 2 tbsp of the baked zucchini, 2 tbsp of cannelini beans, and 4 tbsp of the water you're cooking you're pasta in. Blend with an immersion blender to create a paste.
  • In a large sautee pan, add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic (I also added some garlic peel which I removed before adding the rest of my ingredients). Allow the garlic to cook in the oil for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges turn brown.
  • When the pasta is just slightly undercooked, add it to the pan with the garlic. Add in the the cooked zucchini, the zucchini + bean paste, 1 cup pasta water, the rest of the cannelini beans, the grated parmesan cheese, as well as salt and pepper, to taste. Stir everything together over low heat.
  • Remove from heat and add parsley, butter, and another drizzle of olive oil before serving.
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Pasta and Noodles

Gnocch-bokki

Whenever someone asks me to describe what the “tteok” (ricecake) in “tteokbokki” tastes like, I reference gnocchi. Both are pastas, in a way, one made out of rice and the other made out of potatoes and flour. However, while tteok has a chewy texture, gnocchi–at least good gnocchi–is supposed to be light and fluffy. Still, both were similar enough for me to continue drawing the comparison and soon, inevitably, I figured I should try marrying them more literally.

Once you’ve mastered the art of gnocchi making, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to sauces. Why not use a more Korean flavored sauce for gnocchi over cream and butter? Why not use gochugaru and gochujang to make it spicy instead of cheese and herbs to keep it conventional? These are the deep philosophical questions I didn’t ponder when I came up with this delicious mouthwatering recipe that you’re going to want to try ASAP.

Here are some helpful do’s and don’t’s to help you on your way:

  • Read my earlier blog post on how to make gnocchi from scratch (if you intend to do so). Otherwise, you can use your favorite store-bought brand.
  • Sure, you can substitute chili powder or paprika for gochugaru or Sriracha for gochujang, but it will no longer be Gnocch-bokki. It will be some other dish with no Korean flavors in it. It may still be delicious though!
  • Don’t go overboard with adding too many vegetables. I stuck with just the basics–garlic, onions, and peas. If you add too much, you will overpower the gnocchi and its unique potato-y flavor.
  • Feel free to add more or less of either the gochugaru or the gochujang, depending on your spice tolerance.

Gnocch-bokki

A marriage of two foods.
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4 people

Ingredients
  

Sauce

Gnocchi

  • 4 servings gnocchi
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garilc, minced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, small diced
  • 1/3 cup green peas

Instructions
 

  • For the sauce, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
  • Cook the gnocchi by boiling them for 90 seconds (until they begin to float).
  • In the meantime, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large non-stick pan over medium heat. When the gnocchi is cooked, transfer them directly to the pan (after shaking off excess water). Cook them for about 1 minute on each side, until they are golden brown. Remove them from heat.
  • In a separate pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot (about 1 minute), add the garlic and the red onion. Cook for about 2 minutes. Then, add the gnocchi and the peas, and cook for another 30 seconds.
  • Add the sauce, stirring to make sure the pasta is evenly coated.
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Pasta and Noodles

Scratch Gnocchi

Dear Gordon Ramsey,

Many years ago, I picked up a book called “humble pie.” It was about a young man who went through some things, and then, was about to become a super star football player, when he got injured and decided to cook instead. Lots of harrowing things happened in yachts and kitchens and restaurants all over the world, but this man fought off all the things that tried to crush his spirit with a whisk or a perfect plate of risotto. I then saw this man become a super star—not on the football field—but on TV, where his foul mouthed temper ALMOST dissembled the humility I’d grown to admire. But it was there, intact, just covered up under makeup and hot studio lights.  The other day, I saw a video of this man showing homecooks how to make gnocchi. I’m vegan, he’s not, but it looked so easy and scrummy, I had to try. I’d like to thank that man, the man who dished up such a delectable slice of Humble Pie, that one day, it would lead to me making the most delicious plate of gnocchi I’ve ever eaten.

I’d never made gnocchi before, but I’d heard enough about its challenges to do my homework. I read a ton of blogs and articles, and watched dozens of videos. Out of all of them, I was most inspired by this very short one by Gordon Ramsay. It looked simple enough to veganize and provided clear steps on how to achieve the “not-too-thick, but not-too-fall-apart-y” pasta.

I soon discovered that the key to good gnocchi is that there is no ONE key to good gnocchi. There are a lot of things you can and SHOULD do in order to set yourself up for gnocchi success. My first batch turned out horrible–they dissolved into mashed potatoes (delicious mashed potatoes) that I happily ate right out of the pan. I was so obsessed with using as little flour as possible (the oft repeated warning for gnocchi noobs), I didn’t use enough and the potatoes rightfully turned into mush. Determined not to be defeated by the gnocchi, I tried again, and added twice the amount of flour. It turned out great!

So, here, I’ve distilled for you my own “do’s and don’t’s” for your perfect gnocchi. I know these will work, because I tried it again the next day and they turned out better than the day before!!

Tips on making your own perfect scratch gnocchi:

  • Use russet potatoes. They are starchier and will therefore facilitate an easier dough.
  • Use BAKED potatoes, not boiled. Baked potatoes will eliminate excess water, while boiled potatoes will ADD water.
  • Make sure to RICE your potatoes. If you don’t have a ricer, you can use a sieve (though, you will waste a lot of potato that way…). Using a fork is the last resort. You want to aerate your potatoes, to eliminate excess moisture and keep them “fluffy,” and the best way to achieve that is to rice the potatoes.
  • In terms of the amount of flour, I use the 1 in 4 rule: divide the total weight of your potatoes (baked and peeled) by 4. That’s how much flour I like to use.
  • Sift your flour over your potatoes, to avoid clumping.
  • Avoid kneading your dough–pulling at the dough will create gluten, which you want to avoid. Simply fold the flour into the potato and press down, in order to facilitate binding.
  • Cook your gnocchi until they float to the surface of your pot–do not cook for any longer than necessary, as they will start to melt away if you do….!
  • Transfer your boiled dough directly to a pan of hot oil, to finish them off!

Scratch Gnocchi

Veganized version of Gordon Ramsay's gnocchi.
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2 people

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Rice the potatoes while they are still warm (otherwise, it will be much harder to rice them). If you do not have a ricer, you can also push them through a sieve. Otherwise, mash them up with a fork while also trying to "fluff" them.
  • Sift flour over the potatoes. Add sour cream and 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  • Using a bench scraper, fold a section of the potatoes over the top and inwards. Continue with this motion until a loose dough starts to form. Then, start using your hands to continue the folding motion, while gently pressing the dough into itself. Repeat this motion for approximately 1 minute.
  • Roll the dough into a thick (2 inches in circumference) log. Divide the log in half. Begin rolling one piece into a long rope, approximate 12-16 inches. If the dough becomes too sticky, dust it with flour.
  • Dust your knife with flour. Cut the rope into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Create dimples in each piece using the end of your spoon.
  • Add your fresh pasta to a pot of salted boiling water. Cook until the pasta floats to the surface (approximately 90 seconds). In the meantime, place a non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  • When the pasta is cooked, transfer the gnocchi directly from the pot to the pan, which should be nice and hot by now. Cook until golden and flip (about 1 minute). Cook for an additional minute and add thyme, garlic, peas, butter, and salt. Spoon the butter over the pasta a few times.
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Pasta and NoodlesTraditional Korean Recipes

Rabokki

Rabokki Is My Most Popular Recipe.

Hands down, Rabboki is the most popular recipe I’ve ever shared on my Instagram. I dunno—something about the spicy chewy rice cakes combined with ramen noodles make people go crazy for this dish! Someone once told me that they were at a Korean grocery store when they spotted a woman who looked a little lost. She went up to her and asked if she could help her find something, and the woman held up her phone and said, “Where can I find this?” It was a picture of my tteokbokki dish!!

I know what you’re thinking: “I thought we were making rabokki. What’s tteokbokki?”

rabokki

Tteokbokki + Ramen = Rabokki.

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean streetfood, made out of chewy rice cakes (naturally gluten free) and a fiery red sauce. The word “tteok” means “rice cakes” and “bokki” refers to “bokkeum,” which means “stir fried.” “Rabokki” is what happens when you mix tteokbokki with ramen noodles. So, if you like tteokbokki (which most people do) and you like ramen noodles (I mean…who doesn’t like ramen noodles?), you will LOVE Rabokki.

This Dish Is SPICY!!

Be prepared, however, for some heat. This dish is not for the faint of heart. There are entire TV shows in Korea devoted to seeing how people react to the spiciest tteokbokki in Korea. How does it get so spicy, you ask? Gochugaru, which is Korean pepper powder or Korean chili flakes. Gochugaru (literally translated “chili powder”) is derived from Korean chilis. How does gochugaru relate to the popular “gochujang”? Gochujang, which translates into “chili sauce” is also derived from the same Korean chili; however, it’s “saucified,” if you will, by adding sweeteners, brown rice flour or wheat, and fermented bean paste (doenjang). Both gochujang and gochugaru will play a role in this recipe.

What do the rice cakes taste like? Some people liken them to gluten free gnocchi, only chewier. There is a definite bite to tteokbokki, not just because of the heat. Adding ramen noodles simply add another component to have fun digging around for in the pan. Before going vegan, one of my favorite Korean bars used to make rabokki with rice cakes, ramen noodles, tempura sweet potatoes, and deep fried dumplings! The idea is, you can pretty much add whatever you like to this dish, as long as you make enough sauce to coat it all in glorious fiery heat.

rabokki

A Few Tips To Make The BEST Rabokki EVER.

  • If you can, look for the fresh made tteok in the Korean grocery store. They are usually delivered fresh that morning, so if you get there before the afternoon, there should be plenty left for you. Just ASK!
  • If you can only find frozen ones (that’s all right!), pop.em in the microwave for about a minute, until they are just starting to soften.
  • Marinate ricecakes in a little sesame oil to get them nice and soft.
  • Use dried shitake mushrooms in lieu of fresh ones—they pack way more favor and you just need to add a cup of filtered water to reconstitute them. Then, you can save the water and use it as a broth!

Check it out on YouTube

Other recipes to try

Rabokki

“Rabokki”is what happens when you mix tteokbokki with ramen noodles. So, if you like tteokbokki (which most people do) and you like ramen noodles(I mean…who doesn’t like ramen noodles?), you will LOVE Rabokki.
Print Recipe
4

Ingredients
  

  • 8-10 ounces tube shaped rice cakes frozen, but fresh is better
  • 2-3 Tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 red onion sliced
  • 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms dried
  • 1 carrot thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup broccoli
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 Korean squash, chopped can sub zucchini
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Korean chili flakes "gochugaru"
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons gochujang
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1-2 cups water or mushroom dashi
  • 1 green onion sliced

Instructions
 

  • Marinate rice cakes in 1 tbsp of sesame oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
  • Marinate mushrooms with 1 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of soy sauce, and a pinch of salt.
  • Make sauce in advance by mixing together 1 tbsp gochugaru, 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tbsp maple syrup.
  • Add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stickpan.
  • Add onions and mushrooms and cook until they start to brown.  Add garlic.
  • Add all remaining veggies and cook until they just start to get soft. Season with salt.
  • Add rice cakes and sauce. Stir together until all veggies and rice cakes are evenly coated with sauce. Add 1 cup of mushroom broth (or water). Cook on low heat until sauce becomes thick and rice cakes are soft.
  • While rice cakes are cooking, cook ramen noodles according to packageinstructions—al dente (i.e., don’t cook them all the way). Add almost cooked rice noodles to rice cakes and incorporate into sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions. Enjoy!
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