You know the feeling. It’s two in the morning and all you can think about is Chinese takeout. You crave the salty and sweet combination that Asian food is renowned for. You crave the deep savory flavor of soy, which has recently been identified as “umami”. I have always found Asian cooking a little daunting.

I think it has to do with the fact that the flavors are so intertwined that it is almost impossible to distinguish what the dishes are made of. Recently, David Chang of the famous Momofuku noodle bars and restaurants in New York City, put out a cookbook of his delicious concoctions. Since his Momofuku restaurants are impossible to get into, I had to give his recipes a shot. So feeling particularly inspired, a noodle night was planned.

The famous Ramen noodle was the background for Chang’s sauces that we featured. We bought them fresh at a local Asian market but I feel pretty confident that cooking the dried variety without the weird seasoning packet would work well. In addition, we caramelized a big batch of onions and sautéed a pan of shitake mushrooms with soy sauce and sesame oil as accents for the dishes. We also attempted Chang’s simple pickle recipe but found them to be pretty bland and ultimately left them out of the meal. Chang’s dynamic sauces were the stars of the evening. The first sauce we prepared was the ginger scallion sauce, which was less of a sauce and more of a topping. It was fabulous. Next, we prepared the Korean red dragon sauce that screamed with spice, salt, and sweet. All were served separately but ended up mashed together in one big, beautiful bowl of noodles and I can honestly say that the sauces were one of the most interesting and delicious Asian meals that I’ve had to date. Noodle night is a great dinner party idea for friends and the multiple topping and sauce options satisfy diverse tastes. Noodle night brings NYC Momofuku to Ithaca without the outrageous lines and price tag. Enjoy!!

Ginger Scallion Sauce

2 ½ cups of thinly sliced scallions

½ cup finely minced ginger, peeled

1/4 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 1/2 teaspoon usukuchi (light soy sauce)

¾ teaspoon sherry vinegar

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Mix together in a large bowl.

Korean red dragon sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

¾ cup Ssamjang (fermented bean and chili sauce)

2 tablespoons usukuchi

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Bring water and sugar to boil to dissolve. Cool slightly. As ssamjang and stir to dissolve. Stir in soy, sherry, and sesame oil. Cool slightly and serve with noodles.

Plain Noodles and Cookbook

All Set Out

Green Scallions

Red Dragon Sauce