Udon with vegetables
Udon noodle soup with vegetables
Serves 4
I used to make variations of this in college, it's comfort food in winter. You can throw in seaweed, different mushrooms or bamboo shoots.
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300g (10 oz) udon noodles, cooked according to packet instructions
2 tbs dashi powder dissolved in 1.5l (6 cups) water
2-3 tsp white sugar
¾ tsp salt
2 tbs sake
60ml (¼ cup) soya sauce
75g (2 cups) spinach leaves, washed well and drained
2 abura-age (deep-fried tofu pouches), each cut into 8 thin strips
12 stalks garlic chives, cut into 5cm lengths
½ cup thinly sliced leek (60g), soaked in water
4 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
100g (1 cup) enoki mushrooms, roots removed
4 eggs
First
Cook noodles, rinse in cold water, set aside.
Second
Place dashi mixture, sugar, salt, sake and soya sauce in a medium saucepan
over high heat and bring to the boil. Add cooked noodles and cook for 30 seconds
or heated through. Remove pan from heat, and remove just the noodles, diving
them between four large, deep bowls. Arrange spinach, abura-age, chives, leek
and mushrooms on top of the noodles.
Third
Return the pan to the stove and bring the soup back to the boil. Reduce heat
to medium and slowly add one egg at a time, being careful not to break the
yolks and spooning with a little of the soy soup to poach the top. Cook the
1-2 minutes or until the eggs are lightly poached but still soft and runny
inside. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of noodles.
Fourth
Pour soy soup gently over the noodles and serve immediately. To eat, break
the lightly poached egg open with your chopsticks and dip the noodles in the
egg yolk.