I don’t know about you, but a bowl of noodles is the peak of comfort food for me. I love pasta in general, but noodles are in a category of their own. I’m a big fan of ramen, but I’ve recently been introduced to Chinese Yang Chun Noodles. They take a bit longer to cook, but are more substantial and truly a delight to eat. As a bonus, they’re made with wheat flour, salt, and water. That’s it. I pay quite a bit of attention to what I consume and it’s hard to beat a 3-ingredient list of recognizable content.

As much as I might like, one cannot subsist on noodles alone. To make a complete meal, I combined and adapted two recipes: Garlic Noodles by Spoon Fork Bacon and Ginger Lime Shrimp from the New York Times.

Consider making this recipe mash-up the next time you’re looking for a comforting bowl of noodles.

Garlic Noodles
1 12oz package of Yang Chun noodles
3 tablespoons of butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 head of broccoli cut into bite size pieces (optional, but recommended)
Green onion, chopped (optional for topping)

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 8 minutes. If including broccoli, add to the boiling water with the noodles when there’s 2-3 minutes left. Drain the noodles (and broccoli) and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar. Mix together until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is boiling. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the noodles and broccoli to the sauce, tossing to coat.

Ginger Lime Shrimp
Defrosted 1lb bag of shrimp, peeled
Sprinkle of cumin
Sprinkle of salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, grated
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lime, zested and juiced
Cilantro for topping (optional)

Instructions
1. Peel the shrimp and pat dry. Sprinkle with cumin and salt. This cooks fast, so prep the other ingredients before you cook the shrimp.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until just barely pink.
3. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes with the shrimp. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice and stir until the juice is reduced by about half. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the lime zest and top with cilantro if using.
4. Top the garlic noodles with the shrimp and top with chopped green onions.