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Spicy Mongolian Noodles

A spicy noodle dish with udon, tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, and cilantro in a soy-sambal broth.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and shiitake match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 292 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Spicy Mongolian Noodles

Time8 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the noodles

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  2. Add the noodles and cook until tender; 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Drain and set aside.

Make the broth and vegetables

  1. Meanwhile, place the 1/3 cup water, ginger and garlic in a large soup pot.

  2. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

  3. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.

  4. Add the broth, soy sauce, and chili paste.

  5. Cover and bring to a boil.

  6. Add the tofu and bok choy and cook for 2 minutes.

Combine and serve

  1. Turn off the heat and add the cooked noodles and cilantro. Stir to mix.

  2. Serve at once.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

202Calories
16 gProtein
6 gFat
26 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Shiitake1/2 cup (73g)34
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Bok Choy1 cup (70g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Waternot in our table0
Sambalnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + shiitaketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together292 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Shiitake + tofutop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together58 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Onion + shiitaketop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together412 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Shiitake + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together552 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Udon noodles
Provide the chewy, substantial body that makes up most of the bowl.
Extra firm silken tofu
Adds soft, creamy protein that holds its shape in the hot broth.
Shiitake mushrooms
Contribute savory, meaty depth to the broth.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savory flavor and deepens the color of the broth.
Fresh ginger
Adds a warm, aromatic bite that brightens the broth.
Sambal oelek
Adds heat and a fresh chili flavor to the broth.

The step that matters

Turn off the heat before adding the noodles and cilantro. Cilantro wilts and loses its fresh aroma when overheated, and noodles left in a boiling broth keep absorbing liquid and turn soft and bloated. Adding them off the heat keeps both texture and aroma intact.

Swap the sambal

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ginger, garlic, onion, shiitake, mushroom, sauce, tofu):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Sambalthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ginger, garlic, onion, shiitake, mushroom, sauce, tofu. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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