Udon Noodle and Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms

Udon noodles are the long, thick, now-familiar Japanese wheat noodle that can be treated pretty much like Italian pasta. Make this soup with any stock—dashi, meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetable.

Servings: 4

Total Time: About 30 minutes

INREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces dried, frozen, or fresh udon noodles
• 1 1/2 quarts Dashi or water
• 1/3 cup any miso
• 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms or a handful dried
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and cook until they are just about done, with a light chew to them, for about 5 minutes.
2. Drain the cooked udon noodles and rinse them in cold water until cool. Set them aside. If preparing the noodles in advance, hold them in a bowl of cold water or toss them with a couple tablespoons of neutral oil.
3. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, pour some of the boiling noodle water over them to cover and let them soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Heat the dashi in a large, deep pot over medium heat until bubbles rise from the sides.
5. In a bowl, combine the miso with a cup or so of the hot dashi and whisk until smooth. Pour the miso mixture into the rest of the dashi and mix well.
6. If using reconstituted mushrooms, slice them and strain their soaking liquid. Add the strained liquid to the dashi, along with the sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms gently in the dashi for about 5 minutes, without boiling.
7. Add the cooked udon noodles to the dashi and heat through.
8. Garnish the soup with chopped scallions.
9. Serve the Udon Noodle and Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms immediately.

VARIATIONS:

• Udon Noodles with Miso, Tofu, and Nori: Toast 4 sheets of nori, then cut them into pieces. Cut a 1-pound brick of firm tofu into 1/2-inch cubes or use a 12-ounce box of soft silken tofu and break it into large pieces. In Step 3, stir in the tofu and heat it with the noodles. After garnishing with scallions, crumble the toasted nori on top of each bowl.
• Udon Noodle and Mixed Seafood Soup: Add 1 pound of mixed peeled shrimp, chopped small squid, and scallops to the dashi-miso broth. Simmer gently (without boiling) until the shrimp turns pink, about 5 minutes.
• Soba or Somen Noodle Soup: Instead of udon, use dried or fresh soba or somen noodles in the main recipe or any of the variations. These noodles will take about 5 minutes to cook.

Enjoy your flavorful Udon Noodle and Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms, and feel free to explore the variations to add more variety to your soup!