Simple Udon Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Make the broth: In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add scallion, dried mushrooms, seaweed (if using), ginger, garlic, fresh mushroom trimmings and salt. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook udon noodles until al dente, then drain, rinse well with cold water, and keep at room temperature.
• In a soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add leeks and sliced shiitake and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, mirin, sesame oil and soy sauce and cook for 1 minute. Turn heat to high, add reserved broth and bring to a simmer.
• Add bok choy and reserved noodles and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until greens are cooked and noodles are heated through. Gently stir in miso and tofu. Turn off heat.
• Using tongs, divide noodles among 4 to 6 bowls. Ladle hot soup over noodles. Sprinkle with scallions and serve. Pass togarashi or crushed red pepper at the table.

Steps:

• Open udon noodles. Boil in water for about 5 minutes until cooked. Drain. Rinse. Set aside.
• Boil dashi.
• Boil the spinach for 30 seconds. Drain. Cut the spinach into 2-inch pieces; the leeks into 1-inch diagonal slices; and the chicken breast into 4 equal slices.
• Divide the udon into four bowls. Arrange the spinach, leeks, chicken, kamaboko, and mushrooms on top of the noodles, around the sides. Pour the boiling stock equally into the bowls.
• Optional: Traditional udon has a raw egg in the center of the soup, but I don't like eating eggs. Chicken breast, kamoboko, mushrooms, spinach, and leeks CAN be omitted if you're desperate, but it won't be as filling.

Steps:

• To make the dashi, fill a medium saucepan with 4 cups of cold water. Add the kombu and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, carefully skimming off and discarding any white foam that might bubble up using a large spoon or ladle, about 15 minutes. Once at a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove the kombu and bring the liquid back to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let the bonito flakes soak for 15 minutes.
• Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the bonito flakes. (The dashi can be used immediately or cooled completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large donabe over medium heat. Add the ginger and scallions and sauté until the scallion whites are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the dashi and the napa cabbage. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, mix the mirin and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Once the dashi is at a simmer, add the udon in an even layer. Carefully arrange the mushrooms, snapper, shrimp, clams and garlic chives in an even layer on top of the udon. You may need to nestle in and overlap some of the ingredients, such as the garlic chives and mushrooms, but take care not to overlap the snapper pieces too much or they may not cook evenly. Pour in the mirin-soy mixture and remaining dashi. Bring to a full simmer. Cover and let cook until the shrimp are pink, the clams are open and everything is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Carefully remove the lid and drizzle in the sesame oil. Transfer to the donabe to a trivet on the table. Divide among bowls and enjoy while warm. Season with additional mirin and light soy sauce, if desired.

Steps:

• Prepare noodles according to package directions, and drain. Toss with a teaspoon of sesame, olive, vegetable or canola oil to prevent them from sticking together, and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it shimmers, and sauté the grated ginger and garlic until you smell it (less than a minute). Do your best not to burn it. Add 2 cups of stock to the pot. Be careful - it might splatter.
• Bring the stock to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer (about medium-low). Add carrots (or any hard, root vegetables, if using), and cook until they are crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add tofu or any vegetables (except spinach), and cook until tender but still bright in color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat, and cover to keep warm.
• In a small pot, heat the remaining 1 cup of stock until it steams. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the miso paste until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the entire miso mixture into the pot with the soup. (If using soy sauce instead of miso, skip this part and add the rest of the stock and soy sauce.) Stir in the cooked noodles and fresh spinach, if using, and heat through over medium-low, if necessary. Do not bring the soup to a boil with the miso: Some cooks believe this can ruin the miso's delicate flavor. Top as desired and season additionally, if desired, with soy sauce.