Kimchi noodle stew: A new take on veggies from a 1970s guru

When I published the Moosewood Cookbook in 1977, the idea that a whole meal could be vegetarian surprised people, says Mollie Katzen in The Heart of the Plate (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). I packed the recipes with butter, eggs, and cheese—“in large part to appease those who might be worried that the lack of meat would leave everyone hungry.”

The food I cook today is “spicier, lighter, and more relaxed.” But I’ll do anything to get more vegetables on the plate. In pasta dishes like this one, I typically reverse the normal ratio of produce to carbs. And I love to play with flavor-packed fermented vegetables, like kimchi, that weren’t as well-known back then.

With its slippery noodles, creamy tofu strips, and slightly crunchy kimchi, this stew is “a texture-fest.” It also welcomes any of a dozen or more additions, from torn cilantro to toasted peanuts to a drizzle of sriracha. The crunchy noodle topping is optional, but try it at least once. “It’s one of the most entertaining cooking projects you’ll ever encounter.”

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Recipe of the week:

Kimchi noodle stew

• 3 to 4 oz bean thread noodles
• 2 tbsp peanut oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• ¾ lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• ½ lb very firm tofu, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
• 1 lb domestic mushrooms—large stems removed, caps quartered
• ½ lb savoy cabbage, cut into thin strips
• One 14-oz jar kimchi

In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cold water, and set aside.

Place large heavy pot over medium heat for 1 minute. Add oil and swirl to coat. Add onions, shiitakes, tofu, and ¼ tsp salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until onions begin to soften. Stir in domestic mushrooms and another ¼ tsp salt. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in cabbage and ¼ tsp salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 10 minutes, adding ¼ tsp salt after first 5. Stir in kimchi with its liquid. Using scissors, cut large pieces into bite-size ones, if desired.

Drain noodles. Add to pot and stir in with a fork. Season to taste. Serve hot or warm, with puffed rice noodles. Serves 6 to 8.

Puffed rice noodles

• Safflower oil or grapeseed oil
• 3 to 4 oz slender dried rice noodles

In large skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil over medium-low heat. Separate noodles with your hands if clumped. When oil is hot enough to instantly sizzle a dry noodle, use tongs to carefully add one third of the noodles, or however many fit in a single layer. The noodles will puff like popcorn on contact with the hot oil. Make sure that every part of every noodle touches the oil; any unpuffed parts will be too tough.

Transfer puffed noodles to paper towels to drain. Lightly salt, if desired. Repeat in batches with remaining noodles, adding more oil and heating it as needed.