Easy Udon Miso Soup

After a weekend of hosting friends at our place which also involves a whole lot of non stop eating and drinking. I wanted something lighter and healthier for the husband and I. OK, maybe the side of panko crusted shrimp with my noodles isn't the healthiest option....but it was good (and easy to make!!). =)

This posting is actually for my brother. Since we moved, he now doesn't have his sister to make dinner for him. In my recent conversation with him, I told him that I will come make some easy stuff and post it here for him. This way, he doesn't have to spend too much time to make dinner after work or spend too mch money eating out!

With the right ingredients in your fridge/pantry, you could easily make this miso noodle soup quickly. It's perfect pick me up on a cold gloomy day or bright sunny days like in California.

Udon is a thick Japanese wheat noodle and while I used udon in my noodle soup, feel free to use soba noodles or even pasta! I usually find my udon in the refrigerated section of the Asian grocery store and even the American stores. You can also find dried udon but I've yet to try them out. As for Soba noodles, most Asian aisle in your local grocery store would carry them in a dry form. You'll need to cook the noodles first before using them. Here's the recipe for one hot delicious (and quite healthy) bowl of udon miso soup!

EASY UDON MISO SOUP RECIPE
*Serves 1
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp White Miso (plus a little more if you want it a a little more salty)
• 1/2 Tsp Dashi Granules
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Bundle/Package fresh Udon noodles, blanched
• 1 Tsp Chopped Green Onions 
• Small bundle of shimeji mushrooms (optional)
• 1 -2 Pcs of Crab Stick, blanched (optional)
• 2-3 Slices Japanese Fish Cake (optional)
• Handful of your favorite vege, blanched (optional)
• Thin Shreds of Nori (optional)

Method
In a small pot, add dashi and water and let the mixture come to a boil over medium high heat.  Then, add mushrooms and japanese fish cake and let it simmer until mushrooms are soft. Ladle about 1/2 cup of stock into a bowl, and carefully whisk in the miso until smooth. Pour the miso mixture back into the pot and turn off heat once the miso soup starts to simmer.

In a bowl, add the blanched Udon (or noodle of choice), crab stick and vege. Carefully ladle the hot soup along with the fish cake and mushrooms over the noodles. Top with chopped green onions and shreds of nori. Enjoy immediately!

Notes: There're various kind of miso and some of the most popular ones are white (Shiromiso), red (Akimiso) and mixed (Awasemiso). The differences between these miso are the the intensity and the saltiness. White miso being the mildness has the shortest fermentation time. If you do not have white miso in your pantry, feel free to use red miso. You might need to readjust the quantity of the miso though to get the correct level of saltiness to your preference.


Simply June