Kimchi Time

I was on a mad tear yesterday, cleaning out various corners of my apartment and organizing the odd cubbyhole that had fallen into chaos. Mid-afternoon I collapsed, spent from the effort, on my couch. After watching a bit of Suze Orman (I love her, and for all the haters out there, how many of you were profiled in the New York Times this weekend?) I realized that I was ravenous. As I was engaged in a spring cleaning, it seemed that, rather than run out for new food, I should attempt to use up any remnants in my refrigerator.

Admittedly, as Paul and I had been out of town for the majority of the weekend and I had thus missed my usual Saturday morning greenmarket run, the pickings were a bit slim. But I did have one lone vacuum packed bag of fresh udon noodles (left over from my last run to Katagiri) and a small container of kimchi, purchased from the Korean/Japanese lunch place across the street from my office, for what purpose I cannot recall. And of course, there were the scraggly old veggies kicking around in the crisper, among them the garlic chives that I had used for my butter potatoes a couple of weeks back which had held up surprisingly well.

Inspired by the Amateur Gourmet's recent post about kimchi rice, I decided to try to make something of these items...and, as my creative juices were a bit stagnant, I came up with the very unimaginative idea of kimchi and noodles. Unimaginative, but surprisingly delicious, and a wonderful meal for an overcast, unseasonably cold afternoon.

Udon Noodles With Kimchi

Serves 1

one package of fresh udon noodles (approximately 7 ounces)

1 tablespoon safflower oil

1 garlic glove, minced

1/2 cup kimchi, chopped (use more if you prefer)

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon garlic chives (optional, scallions would be great here as well)

pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Bring medium pot of water to a boil, salt lightly. As water is coming to a boil, heat safflower oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and when heated, add garlic clove. Tip pan such that oil pools and the garlic is in the oil. This allows the garlic to cook evenly without burning. Once garlic has turned a very light gold brown, add kimchi.

Water should be boiling at this point, so add the udon noodles, separating them from one another as they begin to heat through.

Saute the kimchi, stirring occasionally. Add the sesame oil, chives and sugar. Cook further, until you see the kimchi begin to brown. The noodles should be done at this point. Drain them, and add to the kimchi. Saute for a minute or so, until the noodles begin to brown. Add the vinegar, stir through, and serve.