By Natalia Gill, from An Appetite For Joy
Mason jar salads are a healthy and handy lunch idea. But as temperatures drop and we crave more warming foods, how about instant noodle bowls? Simply pack a few jars with savory Asian fixin’s. When you’re ready to eat, add hot broth and you have a satisfying umami-rich soup on the spot.
This quick meal idea was born when my husband and I caught a cold after a fun, rainy wedding weekend in Savannah. We needed something fast but even more so, we needed something restorative. This soup was perfect, two key ingredients being comforting stock and powerful turmeric.
Since then I’ve lined up a few in the fridge for easy lunches on busy weeks.
Incidentally, I like to eat the noodles with a fork or chopsticks while taking sips of broth straight from the jar or bowl. This is how my Japanese colleagues (from my previous life) ate noodle soups when I was in Tokyo. Pictured here are rice noodles, but there are a number of delicious gluten-free pasta options with which you can experiment!
GRAIN-FREE OPTION
Try mung bean threads, found in the Asian section of many grocery stores. They look and taste a lot like thin rice noodles.
PALEO OPTION
Season with coconut aminos instead of tamari, and use kelp noodles. (If you haven’t yet tried kelp noodles, they are silky, soft and neutral in taste!)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons tamari (or coconut aminos)
- 1 cup cooked noodles (rice, mung bean or kelp)
- ¼ cup chopped cooked chicken
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced green onions
- hot peppers such as jalapenos or habaneros (sliced thinly, to taste)
- 1 cup hot broth
- unrefined salt and pepper (to taste, optional)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons tamari (or coconut aminos)
- 1 cup cooked noodles (rice, mung bean or kelp)
- ¼ cup chopped chicken
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced green onions
- hot peppers such as jalapenos or habaneros (sliced thinly, to taste)
- 1 cup hot broth
- unrefined salt and pepper (to taste, optional)
- Fill a mason jar with all of the ingredients except for the broth, salt and pepper. Store in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, pour in the hot broth. Stir very well. Adjust seasonings to taste.
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Thanks- this looks great, but I’ve had a few problems with doing a noodle bowl myself and homemade soups. I’m vegetarian now for the past few years and I can’t find a good low sodium vegetable broth. Being older sodium is hard on my blood pressure so I need to be careful. Small issue, but frustrating results!
Yes, it is hard to find a low-sodium vegetable broth at the store! I bet you could make a large pot of vegetable broth, using whatever you have on hand (and leeks would be a great addition) and freeze portions. Also, using herbs such as sumac and paprika would add flavor without sodium. Thanks for your comment.
I find celery and lovage provide the sodium and flavour I’m looking for.
Yum! I love lovage. 🙂
This is fantastic! Definitely going to prep thissoon!
I used to love my instant noodles and being from Singapore, there is a whole variety to choose from. But since eating clean, i can no longer eat any of it without suffering from a massive migraine from all that MSG. And we’ve also been boycotting products that include palm oil as an ingredient in its production (instant noodles here use loads of it) to save our forests and animals in southeast asia from burning any worse!
Thank you, Fionna! I hope you love it. And we’re on the same wavelength with the MSG and palm oil issues!
Put your homemade broth in ice cube trays, freeze, then transfer cubes to a zip lock bag. ThAnks for the race noodle post!
Great idea. Thanks, Martha!
What size mason jar? Pint, quart?
It just fits in a pint jar. I prefer a quart-size for the extra room to stir and eat comfortably on the go. Good question!
How far ahead of time can this be prepared?
With all veggies, I’d say 5 days. Using chicken, conservatively 3.
Has anyone tried making these and freezing them? I would love to have a few around for snacks/on the go meals when we are too busy to cook. Wondering how the fresh green onions and herbs would fare in the freezer and if hot broth would defrost and warm everything.