Za’atar Zucchini Ramen Noodles by Hetty McKinnon
Hetty McKinnon, food writer, the queen of vegetables, and our friend, just released her second cookbook, Tenderheart (order here), a book about cooking with vegetables. We’re so excited to say that there are quite a few dishes with New York Shuk products in the book, and Hetty kindly shared Za’atar Ramen recipes with our community, and even answered some questions (read Q&A). Happy Cooking!
A note from Hetty:
Za’atar is my daughter Scout’s favorite spice blend, so I’m always devising new ways of incorporating it into quick lunches or weeknight cooking. Here, I’ve come up with a fusion-y recipe, a Scout-approved dish of buttery ramen noodles, topped withza’atar. Za’atar refers to both a wild herb (also called hyssop) and a spice blend. When it comes to the blend, there are many varieties on the market, with different dried herb combinations, some with salt, mint, dried dill or dried orange peel. Try different brands to find your favorite (mine is by New York Shuk). Za’atar is a vegetable lover’s pantry essential—it brings vegetables to life, but it works particularly well with milder vegetables like zucchini, delivering tangy, herbal, nutty notes.
Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 2 minutes. Scoop out ½ cup (120 ml) of the noodle soaking water, then drain the noodles and run under cold water, breaking the noodles up with your hands.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the zucchini and a pinch of sea salt, and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until softened. Add the noodles to the pan, along with the butter, za’atar, another pinch of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add about ¼ cup of the noodle soaking water, just enough to loosen the noodles. Cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat, add half the cheese or nutritional yeast and season well with sea salt. Toss everything together until the cheese melts, adding a bit more of the reserved soaking water if the noodles seem dry.
Transfer to serving plates and top with the remaining cheese or nutritional yeast, another turn of black pepper, more za’atar and a few mint leaves. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4
14 ounces (400 g) instant ramen noodles
boiling water
extra-virgin olive oil
2 zucchini (about 1 lb/450 g), trimmed and julienned
sea salt and black pepper
4 tablespoons (56 g) regular or vegan butter, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons Za’atar, plus more for topping
1 ounce (30 g) pecorino, parmesan or cheddar, finely grated, or
2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
a few mint leaves
From Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds. © 2023 by Hetty Lui McKinnon. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.