Menchanko (noodles)
by Celia Cheng
October 26th, 2007
MENCHANKO-TEI
43-45 W 55th St
(5th & 6th Aves)
212-247-1585
131 E 45th St
(Lexington & 3rd Aves)
212-986-6805
$
I had almost forgotten how comforting the food at Menchanko-tei is, particularly the dish for which the restaurant was named, menchanko — their original noodle recipe, individually cooked in a cast iron bowl with thick ramen noodles in a rich soy broth. Chicken, shrimp, salmon ball, tofu, rice cake and vegetables make it a pretty hearty meal. But one of my absolute favorite things about it is adding Menchanko-tei’s homemade citron pepper _, which looks like a regular red pepper paste, but the _yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit) flavor is so refreshing, while the paste itself is quite spicy. The menchanko is a great comfort food for the wintertime or for nursing a cold, and the citron pepper is perfect for clearing up that stuffy nose.
Also in Japanese, Midtown East, Midtown West, Noodles, Ramen
Menchanko has long been my favorite lunch spot, and I’ve always coveted the piquant citrusy-pepper paste. I never knew what it was called or where to find it. Its called Yuzu Koshu, it comes in both a red and a green paste. Delicious! Chef shop sells it!
Posted by leah Carlson-Stanisic • 24 March 2009, 20:44
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