Dried prawns
Dried prawns are in the same family of miracle ingredients: small, humble-looking things that make everything taste better.
One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor. Into a screaming-hot wok they go with garlic, white pepper, soy sauce, and an indecent amount of cabbage.
What comes out is salty, sweet, savory, and deeply satisfying with hot rice. I never seem to bring enough home.
Salted egg instant noodles
This one is deeply personal. I can’t seem to find these easily in the UK, which only increases my devotion. If instant noodles are my comfort food of choice above all others, then salted egg instant noodles sit at the very top of the category.
They’re creamy, rich, savory, and full of that gorgeous salted yolk flavor that somehow feels both indulgent and nostalgic at once. Add chili oil, a fried egg, maybe some spring onions if I’m pretending to be organized, and it becomes the ultimate post-work meal.
This is what I want after a long shift: curled up on the sofa, eating noodles from a bowl far too hot to hold, watching something completely meaningless but utterly brilliant.
A version of this story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK.