Name: Kunkhen's Torn Noodle Soup
Yield: Makes 10 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 3/4 cup water; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 1 2-inch length fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped; 1 carrot, cut in half lengthwise, then cut in thin half-moon shapes; 2 ounces black radish, peeled and diced; 4 tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped; 5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water; About 5 teaspoons fermented black beans, or to taste, (or 1 heaping tablespoon prepared black bean garlic sauce - see head note); 8 cups water; 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, trimmed and rinsed; 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed, leaves scissor cut in wide strips; Sea salt to taste; 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, firmly packed; 3 scallions, trimmed and minced

Fermented black beans are an essential ingredient to this soup. I couldn't find exactly the kind of beans Kunkhen used, so I settled for a prepared black bean garlic sauce, which was perfect and gave the soup the same earthy taste that Kunkhen's had. I recommend that if you are using black beans you begin by adding 5 teaspoons, then taste the soup for seasoning. If it needs more flavor, add more black beans. The tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce was perfect to season this amount of soup.

Recipe notes

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