Can we talk about soy butter noodles?

The soy butter combo brings the familiar comfort of Vegemite toast into Asian-Australian territory.

Easy peasy Source: Camellia Aebischer

Simple dishes are often ones that stick hard in your memory. Growing up in Australia with migrant parents, the rush of biting into a hot, buttered piece of vegemite toast (served on supermarket white bread the morning after a sleepover at a friend’s house) is one I’ll never forget.

As a kid, my penchant for melting cheese on leftover stir-fries or instant noodles was a secret, but nowadays dairy has found its way into many popular Asian dishes.

The soy sauce and butter combination is just another example of globalisation at work, melding Asian ingredients with Western dairy products. It’s a popular seasoning for wafu pasta (Japanese-style pasta) and tastes unbelievably good mixed through steamed rice.

A mouthful of soy butter noodles brings back vegemite toast memories, but I’ll quit talking about it now and let you be the judge.

I've got visions of frying some prawns and spinach with garlic and adding them in. Source: Camellia Aebischer

How to make soy butter noodles

Serves 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, drop in:

• 300 g fresh noodles or 200 g dried

Cook until just before al-dente, drain, then return to the still-warm pot. Throw in:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Mix well to emulsify the butter and soy into a glossy sauce. Portion into bowls and garnish with some finely chopped chives or spring onion.

If you want to make this a more substantial meal you can stir through some cooked vegetables, mushrooms, or protein of choice.

A little garnish of chives, you know, for health. Source: Camellia Aebischer

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