Menchanko (noodles)
by Celia Cheng
October 26th, 2007
MENCHANKO-TEI
43-45 W 55th St
(5th & 6th Ave)
212-247-1585
131 E 45th St
(Lexington & 3rd Ave)
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 (yuzu kosho), 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.
Posted in Japanese , Midtown East , Midtown West , Noodles
