It’s a Small, Small World

I recently had dinner with a young chef of Polish descent who is about to realize his dream of opening an Asian noodle restaurant in San Francisco.

Another friend, an Armenian, has been acting as a consultant to several Japanese businessmen who are enthusiastic about opening an Italian restaurant in San Francisco (they have two successful Italian restaurants in Japan).

The world’s cookery--slowly, naturally and without being planned--is coming ever closer to unification. China has our hamburger, as do many other countries; noodles are represented in almost every corner of the universe.

I don’t know what this all means, but it certainly makes our world of food more exciting. I’m doing my part in contributing the following “sort-of� Asian noodle recipe. It is ideally a recipe for the home cook: simple, cheap and adaptable.

For a more traditional juxtaposition of cultures, sour cream almond cupcakes combine our European and American roots. The cupcakes are tender and moist; if you don’t eat them the day they are baked, wrap them well and freeze them for up to a month.

ONE-WORLD NOODLES

To make this dish vegetarian, omit the seafood or chicken and use vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth.

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups fish, shrimp, scallops or cooked skinless chicken breast, cut into walnut-sized chunks

Oil

1 (2-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup

6 cups chicken broth

3/4 pound dried noodles (no wider than 1/2 inch), cooked and drained

2 bunches green onions, roots and coarse green tops discarded, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only

Mix hoisin sauce and water in bowl. Add cooked fish, shrimp, scallops or chicken and toss. Let marinate 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat and add ginger root and onion. Cook, stirring often, until onion is transparent but not browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Heat chicken broth in saucepan to simmer and add cooked noodles to heat thoroughly.

Drain seafood or chicken. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in skillet used for ginger and onions over medium-high heat. Add seafood or chicken and cook, stirring often, until seafood is done or chicken is just heated through and not dry, about 5 minutes.

Divide noodles and broth among 4 to 6 serving bowls. Add ginger-onion mixture and seafood or chicken to each bowl and stir to mix well. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Serve hot.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

399 calories; 1,827 mg sodium; 78 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 0.77 gram fiber.

SOUR CREAM ALMOND CUPCAKES

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sour cream (not low-fat sour cream)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup whipping cream, whipped and slightly sweetened

Break egg into large mixing bowl and beat well. Beat in sugar. Stir in almond extract and sour cream to blend well.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt and add to egg mixture. Stir just until smooth and thoroughly blended. Stir in almonds, reserving some for garnish. Batter will be very stiff.

Spoon batter into muffin pans that have been greased or lined with paper baking cups, filling each cup no more than 1/2 full. Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely. (Can be frozen at this point.)

When ready to serve, split each cupcake in half horizontally and spread whipped cream in center. Reunite halves and cover top of cupcake with whipped cream. Sprinkle few almonds on top.

10 to 12 cupcakes. Each of 12 cupcakes:

283 calories; 74 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.47 gram fiber.