A Recipe for Long-Life Noodles in Broth

Here's to longevity and good fortune

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The recipe box is a collection of recipes and techniques from my favorite cookbooks—everything from up-and-coming titles to tried-and-true favorites from my collection. (Though you may see some original recipes here from time to time, too 😉) You can check out TOD’s archive of past recipes here if you’re looking for some meal inspiration.

Last week was a fortuitous conversation with Seattle-based Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle, who spent two years pouring the memories and experiences of their multicultural, “forever hyphenated” family into “Feasts of Fortune.” It’s a beautiful collection of recipes with stories that incorporate both a mom’s perspective in raising and imparting Chinese traditions on her mixed-race children—as well as her daughter’s perspective on embracing her heritage while also shaping her own identity as a byproduct of two distinct worlds.

If you missed that, you can find my conversation with Hsiao-Ching linked here (available for all subscribers), as well as mine with Meilee here (for paid readers only).

Today’s dispatch includes a recipe from “Feasts of Fortune’s” chapter on mixed-culture food; celebrations in the Chou-Riddle household always revolve around feasts blending the best of both Chinese and American foodways. Everyone from Meilee and her younger brother, Shen, to their Lau Lau (Hsiao-Ching’s mother, the true matriarch of the family) adore the Chinese bakery-style chiffon cake with whipped cream and fresh (#NotTooSweet) as much as they do Alice Medrich’s recipe for one-bowl chocolate cake. They indulge in omakase sushi, soup dumplings, and hot pot just as they would in burgers, pizza, and a brownie sundae of epic proportions served at the Space Needle’s late rotating restaurant. For the Chou-Riddle family, it’s a true privilege to bring together three generations around the table to enjoy and enjoy their favorite dishes—from wherever they may come.

No matter what’s on the menu, however, long-life noodles will always make an appearance. As per Chinese tradition, it’s customary to eat a bowl of them as a wish for longevity—just be sure not to cut or break the noodles during preparation! These can certainly come in the form of a stir-fry, but enjoying noodles in hot, steaming broth truly nourishes the soul; it’s a dish I personally could live off every single day.

The great thing about this recipe is that experimentation is greatly encouraged here; Hsiao-Ching and her family love using chicken broth and bok choy in their noodle soup, but you’re certainly not limited to just those. If you’ve got easy access to an Asian grocery store (or a well-stocked pantry), you can have fun with different types and widths of noodles, with the vegetables you add (Carrots! Mushrooms! Sprouts!), or even with the kind of broth you use.

Speaking of, homemade broth is the best if you’ve got time to make it in advance (you can find a recipe for Chinese-style chicken broth attached below). Using the store-bought stuff here isn’t necessarily taboo, but since it’s made with Western aromatics you won’t get the same flavor profile as you would in an Asian soup. If you do end up deciding to go down this route, however, Hsiao-Ching recommends doctoring up the flavor by simmering the broth with ginger, onions, dried shiitake mushrooms, and a splash of Shaoxing wine; this will shift that flavor profile and add a kick of umami.

Photo by Clare Barboza

Serves 4-6

• 1 ½ quarts Chinese-Style Chicken Broth (recipe below)

• 1 slice of fresh ginger, about ¼-inch thick and 2 inches long

• 1 green onion, cut into 2-inch segments

• Kosher salt

• 2 cups sliced baby bok choy, Chinese cabbage, or leafy green of choice

• 12 ounces dried Chinese noodles

• Sesame oil, for serving

• Chopped fresh cilantro, fried shallots, chili sauce, or chili crisp, for garnish (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the noodles. Separately, in a 4-quart pot over high heat, add the broth, ginger, and green onions. Bring that to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Taste and add salt to taste. Add the bok choy and let that simmer in the broth. The goal here is to cook the vegetables so that they’re no longer raw and still have a bit of a bite to them—but don’t let them get too soft. Keep watch on the broth and vegetables, and reduce heat as needed.

2. When the large pot of water comes to a boil, add the dried noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain, and portion into bowls.

3. Ladle the broth and vegetables over the noodles. Add a few drops of sesame oil to each bowl. Add garnishes and serve.

Chinese-Style Chicken Broth

Makes about 8 cups

• 2-3 pounds chicken bones and drumsticks (use whatever cuts you prefer, use a mix of bones and a bit of meat for flavor)

• 2 green onions, halved

• 3 big slices fresh ginger, about ¼ inch thick and 3 inches long

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• ¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine or an everyday white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc

• 6 medium dried shiitake mushrooms

• 3 large Chinese dried red dates (optional)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1. Place the chicken bones and parts in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover the bones by 1 inch, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low. Using a fine-mesh strainer or skimmer, skim off the scum that floats to the surface. Let simmer for about 15 minutes and skim again. Repeat this process several times in the first hour. Once you’ve cleared the foamy bits, you’ll start to see rendered chicken fat on the surface. (Some people like to keep the fat, but Hsiao-Ching normally skims off the large pools of fat so there isn’t a great slick when she tastes the broth).

2. At the 1-hour mark, add the green onions, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, shiitake mushrooms, and red dates. Gently stir to make sure the aromatics are distributed in the broth. Continue to simmer for an hour. Taste the broth, then add the salt, stir, and taste again. Repeat this until the broth tastes balanced. Before using the broth, be sure to pour it through a fine-mesh strainer to catch any remaining scum or bits. If you’re saving this for later, refrigerate for up to 3 days, or divide into containers and freeze.

Recipes adapted from “Feasts of Fortune: 75 Recipes for a Year of Chinese American Celebrations, from Lunar New Year to Mid-Autumn Festival and Beyond” by Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle. Copyright © 2024. Used with permission of Sasquatch Publishers. All rights reserved.