By Samantha Mills, Novel Eats
Vegetarian Udon Noodle Soup
Roughly based upon the Easy Udon Noodle Snack Recipe found on The Messy Vegetarian Cook
Makes 2 servings
3 cups water
1/2 to 1 cup mushrooms (you can use most any mushroom you like, but I used king oyster and the original recipe calls for shiitake)
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons mirin or rice vinegar
4 teaspoons tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos (if you do not have any of these on hand, you may also substitute 2 heaping teaspoons miso)
1/2 teaspoon vegan sugar
1 sheet nori, cut into small pieces or strips
2 dry red chili peppers, optional
1/4 cup tofu or another vegetable or wheat protein, optional
1/4 cup carrots, juliennedDry udon noodles (enough for two servings – this is usually one or two individually separated bunches of noodles)
Salt
Sesame oil (optional, but so divine – I highly recommend not skipping this ingredient)
Green onions or chives (optional)
1. First prepare your broth. I used about half of a king oyster mushroom, and diced it into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mince your ginger by first cutting off a small amount from the main part of the root, then peeling away the outer skin. You can also crush it like garlic.
3. Julienne your carrots. “Julienne” just means that you’re cutting your veggie into little strips.
4. Place the water, mushrooms, ginger, carrots, mirin, tamari (or soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos), sugar and nori into the broth. If you are using chili peppers, you can add those in now, too.
Tip: If you are going to use miso as a substitute for the tamari, you will need to add that at the end after the broth has finished cooking.
If you don’t want your carrots to overcook, add them after the broth has boiled.
5. Bring your pan of ingredients to boil, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat down to medium low or low.
6. Add in your protein now so it will warm up.
7. Allow the broth to steep for about 20 minutes.
8. If you are using miso, you may add it after the broth has finished cooking and has been removed from the heat. Miso takes a few moments to dissolve, so be sure to stir the broth a few times.
9. Cook the noodles as instructed with a little salt. These cook fast, so be sure you are giving these guys your full attention. Once they are done cooking, drain and rinse under cold water.
10. Once the broth is done, add some noodles to a bowl, then ladle the broth over the noodles.
11. Drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over the soup, add some sliced green onions as a garnish.
Tip: Be sure to rinse the green onions really well to get rid of any specks of dirt that may have gotten stuck inside the onion as it was growing.
I loved this soup. It was full of flavor, had tons of texture and really hit the spot. Plus it makes me want to come up more variations. Remember, if you don’t have a particular ingredient on hand, don’t fret – you can experiment and discover your own unique soup, too!
For a step-by-step photo illustration of this recipe, click here.
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