Eastvan Fabulous 101: #GhettoNoodleCookOff

Internet bully @SumikoGrapes has been hinting at an Eastvan noodle cookoff for quite some time now. I was thinking of getting a team together to produce an “Iron Chef” style cooking show where Sumiko, myself and other participants would cook our best noodles in real time but alas, money, time constraints and blah, blah, blah didn’t allow for that.

So today, Sumiko just randomly challenged me on Instagram. There was only one rule: Make the best bowl of noodles using only ingredients found at home. No stop at the grocery store, no money spent. Totally Eastvan Fabulous. Then take a picture of it. Post it. Marvel at how awesome we are. So here we go!

Sumiko:

Ms. Grapes tries to make a stop at the market for some instant noodles but we all know that any self-respecting Asian always has a back-up pack somewhere in the house. She does. Looks like Nissan Ramen, beef flavour, low level MSG, apparently. To compensate, Sumiko smashes out a recipe for meatballs with ground turkey, garlic, ginger, green onion, basil, chili flakes, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Bawse. She finishes off the noods with egg, broccoli, corn, carrot, mushrooms, sriracha and togarashi. If you don’t know what the last two ingredients are, then, well, consider Windsor, Ontario’s cheap housing options. I think Sumiko does a fantastic job here with the homemade meatballs making for an easy win.
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Bizoid:

Thoroughly impressed by my competitor’s entry, I race home to see what’s left in my fridge. Now on my 5th week of vegetarianism, the most exciting thing in there is extra firm tofu. Yeah, I know. But, hey, I still eat eggs and goddamit, I’ma fry up a couple! You bet I fry the tofu too. Pickled some white onion with lime and sriracha. Got a bit of sweet miso in the broth. Topped with pea shoots, tomatoes, kimchi roasted seaweed, chilis and everything else. Mouth wins.

Well, I guess the absence of impartial judges to taste both of our creations renders this competition moot. Still, its ongoing proof that we can easily save a couple bucks by raiding our fridge and pantry . Next time, I’ll be back on meat with a feature on my baked banana and smoked oysters sundae with a side of stir fried tuna fish and pickled beets.

Food jokes.

But seriously, that’s all I have left at home now.