Vietnamese Foody's Won Ton Noodle Soup

Gearing up for the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year as most people know it can be a manic experience. Having to make special dishes and deserts as well as buying exotic fruits to celebrate an auspicious year can be overwhelming! I wanted to make a batch of won tons to each during the week and in advance should the need arise.

In all honesty, I have made this based loosely around Vietnamese Foody's Wonton Vietnamese Noodle Soup (mi hoanh thanh)recipe, a mix of my mum's and my own interpretation! So the end result will be more catered to my own tastes, most likely a yay then!

Yay or Nay: Yay

I can't lie, it was good! Delicious in fact! The only downside was that I'd overcooked the won ton just to make sure that they were cooked on the inside. Chuc Mung Nam Moi / kung hei fat choi / Happy New Year

Serious Eats' Turkey Paitan Ramen

What to do with ample leftovers? Turkey broth right?! When the temptation to grab the carcass just because it's offered leaves you with waaaay too much turkey broth you have to be inventive to think of ways to use it up.

After some research I found Serious Eats' recipe for Turkey Paitan Ramen which sounded delicious! Crispy turkey with more Brussels - why not!

Yay or Nay: Yay

I simplified the recipe a little by boiling the carcass with kombu, ginger, garlic, spring onion, onion and dried chinese mushrooms to take the western flavours out of the roasted turkey. I took a portion of the broth and added tahini, miso and soy for the ramen base. Then I roasted the brussel sprouts, boiled the egg and chopped some spring onions. Next, I shredded the turkey and cooked it until it was crispy. Assemble it all under a bed of ramen and then pour over the broth. Optional, I added some sesame oil and chili oil to finish!

This was tasty and you definitely couldn't taste the turkey flavour in the broth - which is what I was worried about. Everything came together nicely and it didn't feel like we were eating leftovers - I think this might become a tradition!