Bánh Canh Nhật Xào Tôm (Musolino Pasta)

Musolino pasta from the local Mikuni Japanese restaurant is my older daughter's favorite dish of all time. Whenever we go here, she must have this dish to satisfy her palate. I just couldn't justify spending $15 for a plate of musolino pasta every time we were there so I promised my daughter that I would come up with the recipe so that she can enjoy this pasta in the comfort of our kitchen anytime she wants. I once asked the server at Mikuni to ask the chef what spices go into this dish and of course the server came back with the answer, "The chef said, 'It's a secret recipe.'   I am sorry."

It's what I expected so I wasn't disappointed.  Instead I decided to challenge myself to make this musolino pasta. In the process I think I came up with a family favorite. My daughters and husband couldn't rave enough about it.

Musolino pasta is udon noodle sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and other spices with jumbo tiger prawns, asparagus, mushrooms, and onions. Udon is a thick Japanese noodle made of wheat flour. It can be found in the refrigerated aisle of your local Asian grocery store.  I like to stock frozen udon in my freezer.  Whenever my girls ask for this dish, I have it available to toss it with any vegetables, seafood, or meat  that I can find in my fridge.

It's a must-try udon recipe; you won't be disappointed!

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RECIPE:  Bánh Canh Nhật Xào Tôm
yield 6-8 servings

printable recipe

musolino pasta without asparagus and mushroom 

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Ingredients

5 pieces (2.75 lb bag) frozen Udon

1 cup cooked sliced Asparagus

1 cup chopped Mushroom

1 1/2 pounds (16/20 per lb) Shrimps

Olive Oil or Garlic Oilve Oil

1 tablespoon, finely minced Garlic 

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 cup finely minced Cilantro
1/2  Purple or Sweet Onion, sliced, optional
1 Red Chili Pepper, seeds removed, finely minced, optional

1 tbsp finely minced Green Onion, optional

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Directions

Cooking Udon

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add udon and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until soft. Drain. Do not rinse. Set aside.

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Preparing Asparagus

Wash and trim off the bottom ends of the stalks. Find the area where the green color begins to fade. This is where the tough woody end begins and is where the stalk should be trimmed off and discarded.

Add water in a frying pan and bring to a boil. I like to use the frying pan to cook asparagus as the spears fit better and they cook more evenly in a frying pan. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes depending on the thickness of your asparagus. Remove before they are tender, and cool immediately in an ice bath to stop the cooking process and set the color. Avoid over cooking asparagus as the spears will become mushy, dull, and gross color. 

Cut asparagus on the diagonal into thin slices.  Measure one cup and set aside.

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Preparing Mushroom

Slice mushroom.  Measure one cup and set aside.

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Preparing Sauce

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, and salt. Mix until dissolved. Set aside. 

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Searing Shrimps

Bring a large frying pan over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add shrimps and onion if used, and cook, turning once, until browned and crispy on both sides, about a minute per side. Transfer shrimps and onion to a plate. Set aside.

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Cooking Musolino Pasta

In the same frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, mushroom, and red chili pepper if used and cook over medium heat, stir occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms start to turn dark reddish-brown with golden spots.

Add asparagus and the sauce. Give it a quick stir. Add in udon, cilantro, green onion if used, shrimps. Turn of the heat and stir until well combined.

musolino pasta without asparagus and mushroom

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Presentation

Plate musolino pasta on a plate. Top with shrimps and you're ready to pig out. Eat well. Stay hungry.

My daughters and I enjoy eating straight from pan.  Yummy!

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