For me, few things are as satisfying as noodles. Here’s an all-purpose Indonesian-y sauce I like for dressing my noodles, which is equally tasty on broccoli, bok choi, mushrooms, tofu...and it comes together in minutes!
We have a good pantry of global ingredients, but you can do this even if you don’t have all of the ingredients. Don’t have ponzu? Use a little soy and lime juice, or soy and vinegar. No kecap manis? Use a little soy and maple syrup. And soy is the perfect substitute for tamari. The goal is to get a nice balance of savory, sweet and tart. Just keep tasting till you like it 😋 No cornstarch? Also not a problem! Use less water and patiently reduce the sauce until it’s thickened and almost syrupy.
Makes enough saucy goodness for two 🍜 bowls
INDONESIAN-Y SAUCE
🇮🇩 1 tbsp kecap manis
🇯🇵 2 tbsp tamari
🇯🇵 1 tbsp ponzu
🇨🇳 1 tbsp rice vinegar
🇻🇳 Noodles
💧 Half cup of water
🥄 2 tbsp cornstarch
Cook noodles according to your package. These here are Vietnamese vegetarian noodles that I found at the store. I chose them just because they had very few ingredients and no chemicals. You could use any noodles really. Ramen!
While noodles are cooking, sauté veggies. I had mushrooms and red cabbage today, and seasoned them with salt and a little vinegar.
For the sauce, mix the cornstarch, water, tamari, ponzu, kecap manis, and vinegar together really well. No lumps! Cook gently until thickened, whisking all the while (this only takes a minute or two) and toss in your noodles and veggies. Sprinkle with scallions and dig in!