“Truly just divine” weeknight tantanmen

Chewy ramen noodles, spicy sesame broth, fried tofu, yes please.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 24, 2024 Hetty Lui McKinnon's vegan tantanmen with pan-fried tofu. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. A hearty bowl of noodles in less than an hour By Mia Leimkuhler There are two seasons in my house: cold noodle season and hot noodle season. Cold noodle season, as you can probably guess, consists of spring and summer, when the temps are high, the days are long and my noodles are chilled: zaru soba, kongguksu, sesame noodles. Hot noodle season is fall and winter, of course. But I find it trickier to cook to. I want phở gà and shoyu ramen and khao soi gai, but those bowls are built on stocks and soups that take hours to simmer and bloom, and I'm not exactly in the mood to coddle a stockpot of bones on a Tuesday night in busy October (even if it's very in line with spooky season). Which is why I keep returning to this vegan tantanmen, a fast, easy recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon. It's built on fridge and pantry staples — soy milk and vegetable stock, plus dried noodles and extra-firm tofu — and comes together in under an hour. I know the word "vegan" is still recovering from years of bad P.R., but please trust me when I say this bowl of bouncy noodles in a spicy sesame broth is so hearty and satisfying. I'm not vegan, so sometimes I'll add a soft-boiled egg or some shredded leftover chicken to my noodles, maybe some fermented mustard greens if I have them on hand. But the end result is always the same: a hefty meal of hot noodles, ready for satisfied slurping. Featured Recipe Vegan Tantanmen With Pan-Fried Tofu View Recipe → Regardless of the season, I'm always in the mood for chicken and rice. Melissa Clark's sheet-pan turmeric chicken and crispy rice is positively golden, in terms of both color (hello, turmeric) and flavor (ginger, garlic and coriander give the dish plenty of warmth and oomph). Summer's peak tomatoes have pretty much passed, but those pert little cherry (or grape) tomatoes stay pretty tasty year-round. Since I always bring home a pint from the store, I've started to consider cherry tomatoes a pantry (kitchen counter?) staple, meaning this shrimp pasta from Lidey Heuck is always a bag of frozen shrimp away. But back to fall — hot noodle season also coincides with bowl food weather and apple time, and this butternut, tamarind and coconut stew from Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley is also on my to-make list. It's sweet, tangy and a little spicy (though you could certainly skip the jalapeño and chile powder if you like), and yes, I will be making extra so that I have leftovers. It's a well-known bowl food tenet that all soups and stews taste better the next day. And for the apples: Eric Kim's apple and broccoli salad and Samantha Seneviratne's apple tart. Eric's salad is a crunchy, puckery, sweet-savory side to accompany your favorite roast chicken (or, of course, to eat on its own straight from the mixing bowl); Samantha's tart is a beautiful, shingled mosaic that combines small tart apples with a cinnamon-scented caramel. Bonus: You don't have to peel the apples. (You know how I feel about peeling apples.) IN THIS NEWSLETTER Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Khao Soi Gai (Northern Thai Coconut-Curry Noodles With Chicken) Recipe from Noree Pla Adapted by Daniela Galarza 1 1/4 hours Makes 4 servings Linda Xiao for the New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Sheet-Pan Turmeric Chicken and Crispy Rice By Melissa Clark 50 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Shrimp Pasta By Lidey Heuck 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings  Photograph by Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Paige Hicks. Butternut, Tamarind and Coconut Stew By Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley 1 hour 40 minutes Makes 4 servings Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Apple and Broccoli Salad By Eric Kim 25 minutes Makes 4 servings Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Apple Tart By Samantha Seneviratne 2 hours, plus cooling Makes One (9-inch) tart, 8 servings Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. 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