A Tale Of Two Dishes: 通心粉 + Macaroni Naporitan

For me, food is best when it's honest, thoughtfully inventive and shared with loved ones.  I was lucky enough to have grown up in a food-obsessed family and to have an amazing cook to call 'Ma'.  Stealing Adam Liaw's idea of combining old classics and new creations, each pair of related dishes will be cooked side-by-side by 'Mummy Chenga' and I during a visit to the family home and recorded here for culinary and (hopefully) drool-worthy posterity.  

Wikipedia is awesome for many reasons, including these facts about macaroni soup:

*  The soup was discussed as a food to improve the health of poor miners.
*  Weeds can be used in macaroni soup in times of poverty to provide vitamins and minerals.
*  One book suggests using it as a food to comfort distressed mental patients.

My memories of macaroni soup consist of sitting down to a bowl of Ma's 通心粉 (tooong sum fun - literally translating as 'empty heart noodle') on a wintery Sunday arvo.  In hindsight, it's really a 'there's nothing in the fridge' meal, but my 7 year-old self thought much more of it - nourishing, delicious and made with love.  Sitting down and eating this recently really evoked those feelings again (a little bit like David Simon* and his father's pickles and cream).  

I'm fascinated by Japanese culture, especially the way it seamlessly integrates influences from other lands.  Naporitan (not a spelling error) is one example of that integration - a pasta dish of spaghetti and ketchup created by a Yokohama chef inspired by the military rations of the allied forces occupying Japan in World War 2.  I've included ingredients from Ma's 通心粉 along with some of the ingredients you would find on a supreme pizza, but anything goes.  Just ask - what would a Japanese grandmother do? (or what would someone that's cooking with dog do?)

通心粉

WHAT YOU NEED

250g macaroni
2-3 frankfurters, sliced into rounds
4 handfuls of frozen corn
6-8 cups of water + 1 tsp chicken powder (or 6-8 cups of any stock)


WHAT TO DO

- bring water and chicken powder (or stock) to the boil

- add macaroni and cook to your preference, as long as it's past al dente

- add frankfurters and corn

- allow to come to a boil for a minute or so

- serve in a shallow bowl with a big spoon whilst watching bad Sunday arvo TV

Macaroni Naporitan

WHAT YOU NEED

250g macaroni
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, medium dice
1 capsicum, medium dice
handful of button mushrooms, medium dice
2-3 frankfurters, sliced into hemispheres (little bit bigger than the above dice)
6-8 tbsp tomato sauce
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
4 grated handfuls of whatever cheese is in the fridge
hard-boiled egg (everyone has a spare one lying around, right?)
black pepper
tabasco 


WHAT TO DO

- Cook pasta until al dente (it'll keep cooking a little later).

- Saute garlic, onion and capsicum in 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened.

- Add mushrooms and frankfurters and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

- Add pasta and mix well.

- Add tomato sauce and soy sauce and mix well - add more of either to taste.  The sauce should coat the macaroni - add a little water to loosen if required.  

- Divide into 4 bowls and top with grated egg, cheese, black pepper and tabasco.  A spoon should do the job - the dice should mean that you get a bit of everything every spoonful.  You should feel like a nap afterwards.  


* Creator of TV series 'The Wire' - cheaper and more swearing involved than doing a degree in Social Work (so my colleagues that did Social Work say).