This Miso Udon combines the umami flavors of miso soup with the heartiness of chewy udon noodles to make a complete meal-in-a-bowl.
My kids love miso soup and order it every time we go for sushi. They also love noodles of all kinds, particularly udon noodles. So it only made sense for me to combine the two and make this delicious meal-in-a-bowl Miso Udon for dinner.
This soup definitely fits the "Quick and Easy Meals" criteria, as it is ready in just over half an hour, making it easy to serve on busy weeknights. It's also sort of a "choose your own adventure" type meal, as you can tailor the noodles (eg you can make Miso Ramen instead) or toppings to fit your own dietary preferences or restrictions. Keep reading to learn how to make it.
How to make Miso Udon
Making this savory and comforting noodle soup is easy, and can be ready in about half an hour. The first step is rehydrating the seaweed.
Dried wakame seaweed looks like tiny little pellets, but when it's soaked in water for a few minutes, it unfolds into pieces of dark green seaweed. Put the dried seaweed into a small bowl, and cover it with cold water. It will soak while you get everything else ready.
Next, mix up the broth. You can do this right in the saucepan you're cooking it in. Simply add the miso and hon-dashi powder, and slowly stir in some water and chicken broth until the miso is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the temperature and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the other toppings, especially the eggs (if you're using them). I love adding soft-boiled eggs to my noodle soups, but you could also do hard-boiled or poached eggs. For the easiest-to-peel boiled eggs, don't boil them at all - steam them.
Set up a steamer basket with a little water under it. Bring the water to a boil and add the eggs to the steamer basket. Turn the heat down to about medium to medium-high and steam the eggs - 6 minutes for soft-boiled and 12 minutes for hard-boiled. Cool the eggs immediately in ice water, then peel.
If you're using frozen corn in your soup, now's the time to thaw it. You can do this in the microwave (30-60 seconds). You can also go ahead and cut up your tofu into cubes.
When the broth is almost done simmering, it's time to cook the noodles. Note that if you're using frozen udon noodles, you can simply heat them in the broth (it only takes 1-2 minutes - when the noodles separate from each other, they're ready).
But if you're using dried noodles, do NOT attempt this. Dried noodles need to be boiled separately in plain water as they absorb too much liquid and would change the consistency of the broth drastically.
Once the noodles are cooked, divide them evenly between your bowls. Top the noodles with tofu, corn, drained wakame seaweed, and halved boiled eggs as desired. Pour the hot broth into the bowls over everything. Season with shichimi togarashi if you like.
Miso Udon Ingredients
- Dried wakame seaweed - you can find this in well-stocked Asian markets or online.
- Chicken broth - or if you would like to reduce the sodium content in your soup, use reduced-sodium chicken broth, or to make your soup meatless (note that the bonito powder is made from fish and not vegan) you can use vegan "no chicken" broth.
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Miso paste - miso paste is a fermented soy-based paste that resembles peanut butter in texture and appearance. It is very salty and savory. It comes in many different varieties, with white, yellow, and red being the most common. Red has the strongest flavor, and white is the mildest. Any can be used to make miso soup, depending on your preferences. Miso should be available at well-stocked grocery stores and Asian markets.
- Hon-Dashi Bonito Soup Stock powder - Dashi is a fish-based powdered soup stock. You can find this in the International aisle of very well-stocked grocery stores, or in markets that carry Japanese ingredients.
- Frozen udon noodles - where I live, frozen udon noodles are very easy to find (my local Wal-mart even carries them). You should be able to find them in the freezer aisle of well-stocked grocery stores or Asian markets. If you can't find them, you can use dried udon noodles, but they take longer to cook. You could also use dried ramen noodles instead of udon to make Miso Ramen.
- Tofu - I prefer medium firm or softer tofu for soup, but any will work.
- Frozen corn kernels - make sure to thaw it (at room temperature, or in the microwave)
- Large eggs - this is optional. You can serve them boiled (soft or hard) or poached, on top of your noodles.
- Shichimi togarashi - this is a Japanese seasoning that contains dried chiles, citrus peels, and various seeds. It's often used to season soups and noodles. Find it online or in well-stocked Asian markets with other Japanese ingredients.
Want more noodle soup recipes?
Miso Udon Nutrition Notes
The broth for this soup is gluten-free, so to make your soup gluten-free, make sure to use gluten-free noodles (either udon or ramen). Make sure to boil them separately in water (not in the broth) if they are dried.
Note that the broth for this soup is high in sodium. To help cut back on sodium, make sure to use reduced-sodium chicken broth or even no-salt-added chicken broth.
Miso Udon (or Miso Ramen)
Equipment
- 1-2 Large saucepans or pots
- Smaller saucepan with steamer basket optional, for boiling the eggs
- Fine Mesh Strainer for draining the wakame
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon dried wakame seaweed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- ⅓ cup miso paste
- 2 ½ teaspoons Hon-Dashi Bonito Soup Stock powder
- 8 ounces tofu (I prefer medium firm for soup, but any will work)
- 2 pounds frozen udon noodles or 16 ounces dried udon noodles or dried ramen noodles
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed (optional)
- 4 large eggs (optional)
- shichimi togarashi to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon dried wakame seaweed into a small bowl. Cover it with 2-3 inches of cold water. Set aside.
- Add 4 cups (946 ml) chicken broth, 4 cups (946 ml) water, ⅓ cup (92 g) miso paste, and 2 ½ teaspoons Hon-Dashi Bonito Soup Stock powder to a large saucepan. Stir until dissolved and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep your toppings. Soft boil the eggs (if using). The easiest way to do this to make for the easiest peeling is to steam them. Set up a pot with a steamer basket. Bring a small amount of water to boil. Once boiling, add the eggs to the steamer and steam for 6 (for soft-boiled) to 12 (for hard-boiled) minutes. Immediately transfer the eggs to ice water and peel when cool enough to handle. Alternatively, you can poach the eggs.
- Cut 8 ounces (227 g) tofu into small cubes, about ½-inch. The wakame should be fully rehydrated by now. Drain it in a small strainer.
- Bring a second pot of water to a boil and cook the udon according to the directions on the package (the frozen udon that I use requires boiling for 1-2 minutes). Drain the noodles and divide evenly between 4 bowls. NOTE: it is possible to simply heat frozen udon noodles right in the pot of hot broth. However, do not attempt this with dried noodles, as they will absorb too much of the liquid and change the consistency of the soup drastically.
- Sprinkle the thawed corn, drained wakame and diced tofu over the noodles, and ladle the broth over the noodles. Top with a boiled egg cut in half (if using) and season with schichimi togarashi if desired.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply