Menchanko (noodles)
by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
October 26, 2007
MENCHANKO-TEI
43-45 W 55th St
(5th & 6th Aves)
New York, NY 10019
212-247-1585
$$
131 E 45th St
(Lexington & 3rd Aves)
New York, NY 10017
212-986-6805
$$
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 chili, 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.
Also in Japanese, Midtown East, Midtown West, Noodles, Ramen
leah Carlson-Stanisic
Mar 24, 06:44 PM
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!
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