(This is an after-the-fact post, as the day itself was too crazy.)
It was Halloween, and we were all sick. We needed something quick, invigorating and comforting. I wanted garlic and ginger and spice. This soup did the trick remarkably well. My daughter loved it. We were able to muster enough energy for a quick round trick-or-treating and get the sick toddler to bed on time before crashing ourselves.
- Udon soup with mushrooms, egg, garlic and ginger in a dashi and soy broth
- Cilantro and hot chili oil as garnish on the side
How I did it:
I minced the garlic and ginger and sautéed them briefly in neutral oil in a large pan. I then added pre-sliced mushrooms with a little bit of mirin (a sweet Japanese cooking wine) and water to keep them from drying out. While the mushrooms were cooking I quickly made a few cups of dashi in a small pot on another burner. I also heated up the water for boiling the noodles in another large pot.
When the mushrooms were nearly done I added some soy sauce to them and cooked it down for another minute, then I added the dashi to their pan and let them simmer. I then put the udon noodles into the boiling water and chopped the cilantro while they were cooking. The noodles were finished in about two minutes, so I drained them and put them in a serving bowl with a generous swirl of sesame oil. Then I beat two eggs in a small bowl and stirred them into the soup broth. Done! The whole thing took less than 20 minutes.
I served the broth and noodles separately, as it’s easier that way with a little eater. The adults combined them in their bowls with hot chili oil and heaps of cilantro.