If you’re like me and keep a stock for ramen noodles packets in a plastic tub in your garage, ya know, should things go suddenly south cause shit happens, then you need to rotate those bad boys to keep your supply fresh. Here’s a simple recipe for making a faux Pho that requires 3-4 hours in a slow cooker and makes a nice stand alone meal or a starter for Asian cuisine night.
Ingredients
- 16 oz Chicken – boneless & skinless
- 32 oz Chicken broth
- 4 oz Unsweetened Soy or Almond milk
- 2 oz Soy sauce
- 2 oz Rice vinegar – seasoned
- 1/2 Onion – diced
- 3 Garlic cloves – minced
- 2 Jalapenos – sliced
- 2 Carrots – Baton or Julienne (thick or think slices into matchsticks)
- 4 oz Mushrooms – sliced
- 1 tsp Ginger – ground
- 0.5 tsp Black pepper – ground
- 2 – 3 oz packets Ramen noodles – discard seasoning
- Optional Garnishes
- Spinach leaves
- Basil – chiffonade
- Cilantro – chopped
- Green onions (i.e., scallions) – chopped
- Mint leaves – sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Chili paste
Process
- Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting
- In a crock pot on LOW, add chicken, and remaining ingredients – but not the noodles
- Cover and cook for 3 hours.
- Remove chicken to set aside and cool
- Turn crockpot temp to HIGH and add noodles (not the seasoning packets). Cover and cook 5 mins.
- Thinly slice the chicken and return to soup
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare optional garnishes
- Serve in deep bowls and add garnish
Note: You can easily substitute beef, pork, or fish for the chicken. If you use fish, add with noddles as it’s easy to overcook fish. This can be a nice use of left over protein from another dish.
