5 Easy Rainy Day Dinners

Since the weather in LA is bright and sunny nearly year round, I savor every crisp, chilly rainy day that we get. At the first indication of even the slightest drizzle, I reach for a fuzzy blanket, some cozy pajamas and begin planning a warm, hearty dinner. Here are my five favorite easy rainy day recipes to get you through the storms forecast through the weekend.

Arugula and White Bean Stew: When you’re in need of a quick but satisfying dinner on a chilly night, it doesn’t get much better than this stew with arugula, white beans, tomatoes and ham. Slices of toasted baguette perfectly cap off of the bowl. (Recipe here.)

Kimchi Fried Rice: This flavorful, spicy kimchi fried rice is divine any day of the week but particularly appealing when temperatures drop. Topping the rice with a fried egg adds an extra dose of comfort, and scallions and furikake make for delicious finishing touches. (Recipe here.)

Souped-Up Ramen: Upgrade your store-bought ramen with fresh ingredients like vegetables, meat, and eggs. Some of my favorite additions include broccoli, corn, spinach, bean sprouts, freshly crushed garlic, and spam. A smidge of butter thickens up the broth and adds extra flavor.

Chili Frank with Rice: Anyone familiar with Hawaiian plate lunches will recognize this bowl– a bed of white rice topped with chili and a hot dog. Super hearty, this dish is a splurge but absolutely worth it and can be made slightly healthier with turkey chili and high grade hot dogs.

Kimchi Quesadilla (or Grilled Cheese): Yes, kimchi again! A generous serving of spicy, crunchy kimchi transforms your trusty quesadilla or grilled cheese recipe from good to great. Sriracha smiley face optional. (Kogi BBQ’s kimchi quesadilla recipe here and kimchi grilled cheese recipe here). 

Next, settle into the couch for some marathon TV watching and enjoy.

Ma Dang Gook Soo

Although a steaming hot bowl of noodle soup may epitomize comfort food, in LA’s summer months, who needs their meal to make them sweaty when the weather has already seen to that?

Unwilling to abandon delightfully oversized bowls of noodles for months, I recently visited Ma Dang Gook Soo in Koreatown to taste their cold soybean noodles, which were featured in LA Weekly’s list of “Top 10 Asian Noodle Bowls for Under $7.00.”

Inside the quaint Ma Dang Gook Soo, one finds a dozen or so tables and photos of the menu items lining the walls above a tiled roof-like awning. The no-frills interior and size of the restaurant were comfortingly reminiscent of small Asian shops I grew up with in Hawai’i, and I grew eager to try Ma Dang Gook Soo’s food, which those around me seemed to enjoy.

Like the restaurant itself, the menu is rather small. It seems, however, that this allows for the menu to be focused and specialized (most items are either a noodle or soup), which is perhaps what helped to land the restaurant on an LA Weekly “best” list.

Although many items seemed appealing, I had to stay on task: cold soybean noodles!

The meal began with several side dishes, one of which was a wonderfully executed kimchi. Each bite packed the perfect amount of heat and crunch, and I wished the portion was larger…much larger.

As we were munching on the side dishes, the cold soybean noodles ($6.95) arrived in a behemoth bowl.

Garnished with a slice of tomato and shredded cucumber, the soy-based soup was frothy, bubbly and surprisingly cold (in fact, my fridge made my leftovers seem downright warm in comparison). Although the soy flavor was subtle, it created a soup that was heartier than any clear broth and decidedly more gratifying. I enjoyed the chewy, cold noodles to which the frothy soup clung but was somewhat put off by the powdery residue left in my mouth and on my lips after each bite.

We also ordered steamed dumplings ($5.95). The outer layer was moist and soft, and the pork and vegetable stuffing was juicy and bursting with flavor. These were everything that I hope for when I order dumplings.

Although the cold soybean noodle’s powdery aftertaste was not enough to deter me from eating the dish, it may be enough to keep me from ordering it again. After sampling Ma Dang Gook Soo’s tasty dumplings, however, I would love to return to try the dumpling soup.

Ma Dang Gook Soo

869 S. Western Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90005

(213) 487-6008

Being Sick Could Only Mean: Langer’s

I don’t know what I used to eat when I was sick before I knew about Jewish food. Now, thanks to J, it’s my go-to at the first sign of a sore throat or the sniffles. The food is so warm, hearty and carb-a-licious that, even if I still feel like crap when I’m done with my meal, at least I’m a little happier. And so, today, it was Langer’s to the rescue!

Langer’s, located in Westlake, is famed for its menu’s #19–the pastrami sandwich that many claim is the best pastrami sandwich in the US. I, however, have only braved the crowded, busy streets of Alvarado in the fog of a headcold or amidst a flu-induced coughing fit (which, given the pretty shady area, is maybe not the best idea but c’est la vie) and have never actually tried this famed sandwich. The fact that they close at 4 PM every day also has something to do with this…

In the 1920s, Westlake had a primarily Jewish population and was the LA equivalent of New York’s Upper East Side. Upon stepping into Langer’s, you certainly get a blast from the Westlake past and completely forget that you’re in the middle of a busy, urban area.

The interior definitely has the diner/deli kitsch factor going with its counters, quilted booths and more shades of brown and orange than you knew existed.

I ordered my standard “I’m sick and in need of comfort meal”: Matzoh ball soup, potato knishes and kasha varnishkes. For you goys out there like me, knishes are a snack food made of dough wrapped around a filling (in my case, potato) and kasha varnishkes is bowtie pasta cooked with buckwheat and onions.

I don’t know what to say about kasha varnishkes other than that it’s delicious and absolutely perfect when you’re sick (or any time, really). Some places serve it with gravy, but I really like getting the flavor of the onions and buckwheat in every bite and being able to feel the difference in texture between the buckwheat and the pasta.

I hate 99.9% of soups. I just don’t understand it. It’s not filling, but it’s not light, and I get bored of eating it. I do, however, love matzoh ball soup, and Langer’s is delicious. The matzoh ball is soft but not so soft that it falls apart when you dig in with your spoon. The broth was also flavorful and was really soothing on my throat.

I’ve eaten more than a few knishes in my days, but I’ve never seen ones like this! They were practically the size of baseballs! These were really yummy, but the outer layer of dough was a little thicker than I’d have liked and, after a while, I scooped out the potato from the middle and ate that with ketchup.

This huge amount of food all came out to about $17–not too shabby–and I still have leftovers. In fact, I’m going to go eat some kasha varnishke right now.

Langer’s

www.langersdeli.com

704 S. Alvarado St.

Los Angeles, CA, 90057

(213) 483-8050