Udon Soup with Baby Bok Choy Recipe

Udon Soup with Baby Bok Choy Recipe

Udon soup is a hearty and flavorful Japanese soup made with thick wheat noodles in a savory broth. It is a popular and versatile dish that can be enjoyed hot or cold, and with a variety of toppings.

The Broth

The broth for udon soup is typically made with dashi, a Japanese soup stock made with kelp and bonito flakes, or kombu and katsuobushi. The dashi is then seasoned with soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), and sometimes sake. The broth should be light and flavorful, with a slightly salty and umami taste.

The Noodles

Udon noodles are thick, white noodles made from wheat flour. They are typically served hot, but they can also be served cold. There are many different types of udon noodles, but the most common are sanuki udon, which are from the Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. Sanuki udon are known for their chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor.

The Toppings

Udon soup can be topped with a variety of ingredients, such as:

• Tempura: Deep-fried seafood or vegetables
• Kamaboko: Fish cakes
• Nori: Dried seaweed
• Abura-age: Deep-fried tofu pouches
• Shichimi togarashi: A Japanese seven-spice blend
• Shiokara: Fermented squid entrails
• Pickled ginger

How to Eat Udon Soup

Udon soup is typically served in a large bowl with a pair of chopsticks. The noodles are slurped from the bowl, and the broth is sipped from the spoon. It is considered polite to slurp your noodles in Japan, as it shows that you are enjoying your meal.

Udon Soup Variations

There are many different variations of udon soup, such as:

• Tempura udon: Udon soup with tempura on top
• Kamaage udon: Udon soup with the noodles served separately from the broth
• Zaru udon: Cold udon soup with a dipping sauce
• Kitsune udon: Udon soup with thinly sliced fried tofu

This recipe is property of GreatChefRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced yellow onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 cup julienned carrot
2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
1/2 pound baby bok choy, ends trimmed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup mirin
2 quarts dashi broth
1 package Udon noodles, prepared according to package directions

Garnish:
Pinch togarashi
Sliced green onion
Cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven, add oil and heat over medium high heat until shimmering.
2. Add onion and carrot and stir-fry until soft.
3. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-minute.
4. Add shitakes and baby bok choy and stir-fry until bright green and tender (3 minutes).
5. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin, cook for 2 minutes.  
6. Pour in dashi broth.
7. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
8. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the broth has developed a rich full flavor.
9. To serve, add cooked Udon noodles to bowl and then ladle vegetables and broth over the top.
10. Garnish with tagarashi, green onions and cilantro.

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