6. Mmm, Noodle Soup: Cellophane Noodle Soup with Tofu

Today I slept in way too late and gorged myself on cereal. This resulted in a mid-afternoon shawarma binge (delicious with an ice-cold can of Vimto) and a desire to eat a light dinner. I had made a simple broth with the leftover beef bones and went out to get a bag of rice noodles. What did I find instead?

I grabbed the last bag of dangmyeon, descriptively known as "Oriental Noodle," in my awesome hidden grocery, along with some sprouts, tofu, herbs and veggies and set out to make some soup. These dry noodles are made from sweet potato starch and are the star of the delicious Korean stirfried dish Japchae. I like that they still have a bit of bite to them when they're cooked. They're made in China, and I guess in response to a story about factories using lead to cut noodle ingredient costs (I'm serious), they've issued a helpful statement right on the bag:

Well, that sets my mind at ease. 

I chopped the accoutrements and set out my beloved Sriracha, then added a bit of soft tofu, quartered mushrooms and mini bok choy to the broth.

Fresh basil, mint, lime, red pepper, mung bean sprouts, green 

onion, tofu puffs and HOLY SHIT WHY IS ANYTHING THIS 

HOT Thai bird's eye chili. 

Here's the result:

Oh yeah, I also added half a soft-boiled egg to each bowl. It was pretty good! A little lacking in the flavour department on its own, but nothing a little lime and hoisin couldn't balance. I might try replacing the noodles with fresh storebought ramen and the broth with miso next time. A good recipe for a restful sleep.