“This was delicious!” “Great Friday night option instead of takeout. Fast, easy, satisfying.” “So rich and light, but filling!” Naz Deravian’s yaki udon recipe hasn’t been out in the world for very long, but it’s already racking up rave reviews from our New York Times Cooking readers. It’s not hard to understand why. Who wouldn’t enjoy chewy udon noodles tossed in a salty-sweet combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar and sugar? The meat and vegetables here are dealer’s choice, making it a fast and flexible dinner — perfect eaten in your comfiest sweats on the couch.
Featured Recipe
Yaki Udon
More easy dinners for cozy nights in: This luscious coconut-poached fish with bok choy, a Thai-influenced dish from Colu Henry, turns flaky white fish and sturdy greens silky in an aromatic coconut milk broth. Or, if you want something more substantial, how about chicken enchiladas? Rick Martinez’s popular recipe meets you where you are — use canned or homemade enchilada sauce, shred a rotisserie or roast chicken, or swap in roasted vegetables to make it vegetarian.
If, however, you’re in party mode, we have three words for you: spinach artichoke dip. Alison Roman’s five-star recipe uses fresh or frozen spinach, canned artichoke hearts and plenty of tangy, creamy things (cream cheese, and sour cream or Greek yogurt) to make a crowd-pleasing dip that’s great at any temperature. And one more word: lumpia. These Filipino spring rolls are admittedly a little time consuming to make, but the way they turn humble ingredients — ground pork, carrots and onions — into golden, greed-inducing, “I’ll just have five more” party snacks is pure holiday magic. In fact, you might consider doubling the recipe and saving some rolled, uncooked lumpia in your freezer for yourself as insurance.
