This is so simple, so comforting and it keeps all our kids happy at dinner time, which is no mean feat. It also gets an array of vegetables into them and uses up leftovers to boot. Feeding four kids and avoiding arguments is nigh on impossible, so when you hit on something they all enjoy, it’s like finding the Holy Grail.
With us, noodles of any kind are a favourite, and they all love shellfish, clams, mussels - they could eat mussels until they came out their ears.
So what we like to do with this recipe is add whatever is to hand, leftover roast meat, thinly sliced beef, fish and of course freshly steamed shellfish. Sometimes we just leave it vegetarian.
We normally use a batch of golden curry roux (the recipe is below; it keeps well, or you can freeze it), but use whatever curry roux you can find in your local Asian shop.
Enda McEvoy is chef proprietor at Loam restaurant in Galway
Curry udon
Serves two
Ingredients
90g Japanese curry roux (see below to make your own, or buy readymade and follow instructions on packet)
1 onion
1 potato
1 carrot
4 spring onions
2-3 packs pre-cooked udon
4 tbsp dashi or tsuyu soup stock
Shichimi togarashi to season
Method
1 To make your curry udon, start by cutting the onion, potato and carrot into chunks before adding them to a pan filled with 500ml water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
2 Add the curry roux to the pot and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Keep stirring until the curry sauce is thick and smooth. Add sliced leftover meats or lightly steamed shellfish or tofu, if you are using, at this stage and lightly heat through
3 Add four tablespoons of dashi or tsuyu soup stock to 400ml water and boil in a separate pan to make the noodle soup, or make dashi using kombu seaweed and katsubushi available from Asian stores. You can also buy ready made dashi.
4 Boil the udon noodles for a few minutes before draining well in a colander.
5 Place the cooked udon noodles in a bowl, add the noodle soup and then the curry sauce on top. Finally, garnish with sliced spring onions and togarashi and serve immediately.
Curry roux
Makes lots but it stores well, or you can freeze it
Ingredients
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
150g butter
150g flour
3 tbsp honey
Method
1 Roast the spices in a pan for five minutes or so and set aside.
2 Melt the butter in a pot and add honey. Add flour to the butter and stir until combined. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until smooth, about 15 minutes.
3 Add spice mix and mix in well.
4 Pour into a mould or container and refrigerate until set. Portion it up and it will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, or otherwise freeze it.
Kitchen Cabinet is a series of recipes from chefs who are members of Euro-Toques Ireland, who have come together during the coronavirus outbreak to share some of the easy, tasty things that they like to cook and eat at home #ChefsAtHome
