noodles – My Whisk and I

2-minute Salad

December 13, 2025December 9, 2025by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

2 packets instant noodles, cooked without the spices
300g coleslaw mix
2 hands full of cashew nuts
1 hand full of sesame seeds

Dressing:
125ml olive oil
60ml honey
60ml red wine vinegar
30ml soy sauce
2 packets of instant noodle spice

Add the cooked noodles, coleslaw mix, cashews and sesame seeds to a mixing bowl and set aside.
Add the olive oil, honey, red wine vinegar, soy sauce and noodle spice to a small saucepan and place it over a medium heat until it starts too bubble.
Pour the hot dressing over the noodle mixture and mix through.
Place the salad in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Serve cold.

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Udon and Dumplings

February 29, 2024by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

15ml tahini paste
15ml sesame oil
15ml miso
15ml soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
5ml grated ginger
500ml chicken stock
250ml milk
200g udon noodles
frozen dumplings, defrosted
30ml black sesame seeds
45ml chopped chives
chilli oil

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the tahini, sesame, miso, soy, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for one minute or so.
Add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring continuously. Keep going until all the stock has been added.
Pour in the milk and bring the mixture to a slow simmer.
Add the udon noodles, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the dumplings, place the lid back on and cook on a low heat until warmed through.
Scatter over the sesame seeds and chives and drizzle with chilli oil to serve.

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Gnocchi-Noodle Mushrooms

May 6, 2023April 24, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Not quite gnocchi but also not quite noodle…. You will need a clean wine or beer bottle to shape the noodles into a mushroom shape. The top must be clean and dry.

400g potato, peeled and cubed
120g cornflour (or potato flour)
5ml salt
80ml chives, very finely chopped
30ml butter
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
45ml salad onion, finely chopped
15ml thyme leaves

Cook the potato in salted water until very soft.
Drain, add the potato back into the hot saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. Stir around for a minute or two until the potato is dry and there are no trace of water.
Take off the heat and mash to a fine texture.
Add the cornflour, salt and chives and mix through.
Knead/squeesh the ingredients together until it forms a dough. If you REALLY can’t bring it together, add a few drops of water and knead again.
Scoop up about 15ml of the dough and squeeze/roll into a ball shape.
Press the dough balls into the top of a dry wine bottle and carefully lift it off. Put aside and continue shaping the rest of the dough.
Fill a saucepan with water, bring to the boil and then turn it down to a simmer.
Add the gnocchi to the water and simmer for 4 minutes – they will float once they are done.
Remove and drain. Set aside.
Add the butter to a pan set over medium-high heat.
Add the mushroom, onion and salad onion and cook for about 5 minutes.
Scatter in the thyme leaves and add the gnocchi-noodles.
Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the noodles are warmed through.
Serve immediately.

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Spicy Pad Thai Noodles

October 27, 2022October 27, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

750ml chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 red chillies, halved
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml oyster sauce
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh pad thai noodles
2 eggs, soft-boiled, peeled and halved
a handful of sliced green onion

Add the chicken stock, garlic, chillies, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and sesame oil to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.
Add the noodles and gently agitate it with a fork until it comes apart.
Place a lid on the saucepan and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
Spoon the noodles and some of the broth into two serving bowls, add the boiled egg and scatter with the green onion to serve.

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Udon Noodle Broth

September 26, 2022September 23, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

200g mushrooms, sliced
50g butter
750ml chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine if you can get hold of any)
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh udon noodles
a small handful of chives, chopped

Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Wait for it to heat up and then add the butter and mushrooms.
Fry until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Add the stock, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, sherry and sesame oil to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat so that the broth can simmer.
Place a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the garlic and add the noodles to the broth.
Agitate the noodles with a fork so that they break up and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the fried mushroom and remove the saucepan from the heat.
Ladle the noodles and a good amount of broth into serving bowls and top with a sprinkling of chives.

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Pad Thai Miso Noodles

September 15, 2022September 14, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe will serve 2-3 people. Double up on the sauce if you are serving more.

2-3 chicken breasts
15ml sunflower oil
10ml garlic salt
5ml origanum
5ml smoked paprika
30 ml butter

2 x 200g packets of fresh Pad Thai noodles

For the sauce:
15ml peanut butter
25ml miso paste
15ml sesame oil
7,5ml chilli sauce
10ml soy sauce
7,5ml honey
7,5ml lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
60ml chopped chives

Drizzle the sunflower oil over the chicken breast and rub all over.
Mix the garlic salt, origanum and paprika in a small bowl, sprinkle it over the chicken and rub it over the breasts.
Place a pan on medium-high heat and wait for it to heat up.
Add the butter to the pan and wait for it to melt.
Now add the chicken and partially cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 4 minutes.
Flip the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes, once again with the lid partially on the pan.
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.

Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small bowl and mix together.
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.
Add the noodles to the sauce ingredients and mix through to coat all the noodles.
Spoon into serving bowls, slice the chicken and place on the noodles.
Serve immediately.

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Saucy Udon Noodles

September 8, 2022September 7, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

The recipe makes one large portion but may be doubled as needed.

Sauce:
30ml cornstarch
125ml water, room temperature
60ml soy sauce
45ml honey
15ml lemon juice
2,5ml sesame oil

200g udon noodles
100g mushrooms, pan-fried
cucumber cut into thin “sticks”
radish cut into thin “sticks”

Ensure that the mushrooms are cooked and the cucumber and radish have been sliced and prepped.

For the sauce:
Add the cornstarch to a small mixing bowl and add just enough of the 125ml water to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir briefly.
Add the rest of the water, soy, honey, lemon juice and sesame oil and whisk together until fully incorporated.
Place a pan on medium heat, add the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously.
Remove the sauce from the heat as soon as it thickens – it is going back on so simply pull it away.

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
Place the sauce back on the heat and add the noodles.
Stir for about a minute so that the noodles absorb some of the sauce.
Spoon the noodles and any sauce into a serving bowl and arrange the mushroom, cucumber and radish on the noodles.
Serve immediately and slurp away!!