kimchi udon

& homemade chicken broth!

OCTOBERRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! We are so here. I woke up this morning (at 9am aka sunrise for me) the weather outside - 58F and crisp. I’ve been eating soup once a week minimum. I made a batch of pumpkin spice rice krispies yesterday (recipe to come). Trader Joe’s scented broom in every room. Pumpkins EVERYWHERE. Life is worth living!!!!!!

Last week I made ham & cheese croissants! If you guys think I have a recipe for croissants, I’m flattered but I learned everything I know from Mother Saffitz. If you want to try your hand at it - recipe with video here! I made the plain croissants from last year according to this recipe and watched the video for the ham & cheese variation for this version too. I just added some sprinkled za’atar to these for an additional savory bite!

I also made homemade broth for my freezer stash. I was reminded I am superior to everyone when I do this, so I must do it more often. Aside from that, it’s also just really mf good. I ladled a bit over some rice and bok choy the other day - called it dinner. Sometimes the body wants soup but the body doesn’t want to work for making a soup happen.

I got a few questions where to acquire the bones needed for the broth - most butchers should have them in the freezer section, or if you ask they might have some in the back. Asian grocers usually have the chicken feet (plus they’re very cheap) And if all else fails you can just use a whole ass bone-in chicken. The most important part for the broth is there to be lots of cartilage (hence the chicken feet favoritism) so whatever you do just make sure you got bones in it.

As for Soup Slays - it will resume regularly scheduled programming next week for a second year running. But in the meantime - let’s talk kimchi udon. A warm, cozy ass bowl of nooooodles. I discovered this recipe on Bon Appetit’s website probably around 6 years ago. Since then, I’ve made it a sick amount. Here’s the original recipe on their site. However, over the course of the last few years I’ve tweaked her a wee bit to become more of a full meal and include an imperative crunch for my liking. So below is my version of that.

kimchi udon:

serves 2 unless ur really hungry then serves 1

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

• 6 oz pork belly, thinly sliced into bite sized strips 

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, dark green and pale green white parts separated

• 1/2 cup finely chopped kimchi, plus 2 tbsp kimchi juice

• 1 Tbsp. gochujang

• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

• 1/3 cup chicken broth

• 10 oz fresh or frozen udon noodles

• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

• 2 lemon wedges

• furikake crumbs to garnish

furikake crumbs:

• 1/4 cup panko

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 tbsp furikake

1. For the furikake crumbs: Heat the butter in a small pan over medium heat, once bubbling add the panko, mixing to cover all the crumbs. Sprinkle in the furikake and sauté for another minute until the panko is just golden. Remove from heat and let cool.   

2. For the noodles: Add 1 Tbsp. butter to a medium pan over medium high heat. Once melted, add the pork belly and cook until lightly browned.

3. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped kimchi, white + pale green parts of the scallion, 1 Tbsp. gochujang, soy sauce, fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until kimchi is softened about 4 minutes.

4. Add the chicken broth and kimchi juice and bring everything to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, boil udon noodles according to package directions. Usually this takes 60 seconds or so.

6. Using tongs, transfer noodles to the kimchi mixture and add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, cook, tossing often, until sauce coats noodles, about 2 minutes.

7. Divide among 2 bowls and top with an egg yolk each, dark parts of the scallion, furikake crumbs and a lemon wedge. Slurp away and enjoy!

Now for the broth. You really cannot mess this up. Can’t go wrong with what you do. This was just my method of the week. If you can’t find the feet, just omit. Your broth might be a bit less gelatinous - the world will still spin and it will still rock.

i’m better than you broth:

makes about 3 - 32oz mason jars of broth

• 8lbs chicken bones

• 10 chicken feet

• 2 yellow onions, quartered, skin on

• 4 sprigs thyme

• 3 celery stalks, cut into thirds

• 6 carrots, cut into thirds

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 tsp black peppercorns

• few dashes of turmeric at the end

• pinch of salt, otherwise

1. For the veggies: I don’t peel the carrots, just very liberally wash them and rub them dry with a paper towel, to which most of the surface of the skin pretty much rubs off itself. Cut the ugly sides off the celery. For the onion, I leave it on to give the broth a golden hue, just wash them, then cut. Easyyyy peasyyy.

2. This recipe will require either your largest vat (12+ qt) or 2 dutch ovens. which is what I did. You could half the recipe but i find if I’m already doing all this may as well just maximize the outcome. I also feel better when I don’t get raindrops from my day of effort lol.

3. I used a 6.75 qt + 6 qt pot. Just divide and conquer the ingredients amongst each pot. Once in, fill the pot with cold water to cover everything, leaving about an inch from the top.

4. Bring to a boil, then using a spoon, skim off the scum floating at the top. Once it’s mostly cleared, partially cover the pots with a lid, turn the heat down to low or low/medium until you get a very small simmer. You don’t want it to boil, or your liquid will reduce by too much. Let that rip on the stove for about 2-4 hours (however much time you have - it will just be more concentrated and flavorful on the further end), skimming occasionally, until you have a nice golden broth. Add a few dashes of turmeric and salt to your liking. I don’t go crazy on the salt since I can adjust it within whatever recipe I’m using it for.

5. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, pressing gently to extract all the liquid. Once cool enough, pour off into mason jars or freezer safe containers for the freezer. These will store in the fridge for 3-4 days if you want to drink it asap. Before reheating, skim off the fat later from the top of the broth. You can use this to cook or roast anything!

6. And now you have homemade chicken broth that will make everything in your life better while making you look hot thanks to the collagen, puurrrrrr!

hope everyone is having the coziest sunday ever, talk soon :*

xoxo

katie