Ingredients (For Two)

• One packet of instant noodles (or of course just noodles) but set aside/discard the seasoning packet
• Vegetables. I use the pre-prepared stir fry packages of fresh vegetables for speed and variety
• 3tbsp Dark soy sauce
• Seasonings including red chilli flakes to taste
• Fresh garlic and onion (finely chopped)
• Stock. Because this is a speedy version I just use pre-made stock or stock cubes but if you have your own stock hanging around then obviously use that!
• Any leftover meat you might have. For this recipe I used airfryer pork loin

Method

1. Put your stock and soy sauce into a saucepan and put on a medium heat. Add a little more stock in than you actually will want in your bowl, but not too much, as you will want this to simmer down slightly. Put your seasonings and spice into the mixture as well so it can very briefly infuse and also any dried spices or herbs can soften a little
2. In a frying pan or wok add a splash of neutral oil, or if you have it sesame oil, and heat it to put the onion and garlic into and let it get to a softened but not browned state
3. Once the onion and garlic has reached that state add in the vegetables and cook them on a high heat to quickly soften them down but to also maintain a little crunch
4. Add in the noodles to the simmering stock and cook them down so they are just cooked enough to bring comfortably edible. Once they have reached that state mix the noodles and liquid into the wok and give a good stir to combine everything
5. Check for flavouring and make any seasoning adjustments or add in a little more soy sauce. Remove from the heat and then serve up into a bowl with any meat on top

Eating And Storage Tips

Want to know what to use the seasoning packet from instant noodles for? I tend to save them up and use them in something like a stock mixture that I am making; They are usually pretty salty so it helps to reduce the need for a bit of seasoning and the amount of water it gets added to they don’t create a huge amount of extra flavour but just a little hint that keeps it flexible to be a stock for any uses.

I only make enough of this dish for the day of eating as it doesn’t really work very well reheated. If you wanted to use more of the ingredients involved in making this dish then I would strongly suggest just whipping up a fresh batch at a later date. Doing the vegetable prep yourself or making your own stock? Put them into a good jug or container when making your first batch up to reduce the amount of time it will take next time around.

Whilst I used pork here you can use pretty much any meat just remember to make sure your choice of stock flavour will work well with it. This is useful as a way to use up any leftover meat you might have (I am looking at you turkey or other Thanksgiving and Christmas meats).

If you want to make it that little less basic but still not needing a huge amount of effort then you can always boil up an egg to a soft boiled state, cut it in half and serve this on top too. Additionally, if you have any cut up some spring onions (scallions) and scatter them on top at the end for that little bit of freshness and bite.