If you have not yet fully recovered from the excesses of Thanksgiving eating, then you’re not alone.
Discussions of calorie counts aside, Thanksgiving is lovely for the wide variety of dishes, all crammed together on the dinner table. There is such an assortment of complementary textures, colors, and flavors, it’s no wonder we eat until we’re beyond full—after all, we’re only sampling a little bit of everything.
But in the aftermath of so much cooking and indulging (and endless dish-washing), I found myself in the mood for something simpler, a meal that took the comforting form of a single bowl of noodle soup.
Not that soup weather has quite arrived in Santa Barbara yet, but I guess you could say I was thinking of my (more) northern hemisphere friends.
Delectably chewy udon noodle soups were one of my favorite wintertime meals when I lived in Japan, though I usually enjoyed them at restaurants (little hole-in-the-wall shops specializing only in udon, sometimes also in soba) rather than making my own at home.
When I did make udon at home, I used powdered instant soup mix for the broth. It wasn’t until recently that I got to thinking about how nice it would be to figure out how to make my own dashi-based broth that would be far more satisfying (as most homemade things are) and that would have far less sugar and salt compared to instant udon soup mixes.
I still think dashi-no-moto packets (like dashi tea bags) are an excellent way to quickly make a small amount of dashi (a clear-ish Japanese fish/seaweed stock) for use at home. But they have two elements that I know some people might object to: they use bonito fish shavings so they’re not vegetarian, and they contain MSG, which I don’t mind at all, but I know many people prefer to get their rich umami flavors from naturally occuring monosodium glutamate (like in seaweed or mushrooms), rather than from additives.
I’ve used dashi-no-moto tea bags for several previous blog posts, mentioning that vegetarians and vegans could forgo the instant stuff (made from seaweed and fish flakes) for a homemade seaweed or mushroom vegetarian dashi, but I never actually explained how one would go about doing that… until now!
This broth, which I am now hooked on, is made using a hybrid seaweed-mushroom dashi as a base. Vegetarian dashi is usually made with either seaweed or mushrooms, but I wanted something super flavorful to stand up against the ginger I’d later add to my soup, so I used both! Although it takes 8-12 hours for the kombu (kelp) and shiitake mushrooms to steep, it’s still insanely easy to make: you just let it sit in the fridge overnight—or start it steeping before you leave for work in the morning.
Once the dashi is ready (it can be made up to a week in advance, then refrigerated), this hearty dinner of udon soup comes together easily. The dashi is simmered with spicy fresh ginger—not exactly traditional, but amazingly welcome in a hearty winter soup—while the pre-cooked frozen udon noodles are boiled for only 2 minutes. (One of my friends/co-workers in Japan once pointed out to me that frozen udon is infinitely superior to dried udon, and I wholeheartedly agreed and never looked back.)
This type of udon soup is called Kitsune Udon (“fox udon”) because of the slightly sweetened deep-fried tofu floating on top.
When I first learned of the dish, the name made sense to me, since the the deep fried inari-age tofu, sweetened with soy sauce and sugar for use in inarizushi (vinegared rice in fried tofu pouches) is a similar color to foxes’ fur, but it turns out that the dish is named “fox udon” since foxes are thought to enjoy eating abura-age (deep-fried tofu).
Don’t let the sound of “sweet” tofu dissuade you, though; Paula usually hates sugar in savory things, but even she enjoyed it. The sweet tofu provides a nice contrast to the gingery broth and the kick of fresh scallions.
Storebought (pre-sweetened) inari-age can be cloyingly sweet, but unfortunately it was all I could find, despite going to THREE different Asian markets in town. You can cut the sweetness, though, (and get rid of the crazy amount of oil it’s packed in) by pouring boiling water over the inari-age, as I explain in the recipe below.
Another option, if you live in a real city with an actual Asian supermarket, would be to buy unseasoned abura-age (deep fried tofu pouches), pour boiling water over them to get rid of some of the oil, then simmer them in a little water, soy sauce, and sugar, to taste.
If you’re looking to treat yourself to a simple meal of comforting, thick, chewy noodles submerged in a warming ginger broth, then look no further; udon satisfies, whether or not you deck it out with all the trimmings: the sweetened tofu, the shichimi chili powder, some mushrooms or other vegetables you might want to add… the only elements truly necessary to a good udon soup are perfectly cooked udon and a good broth that threatens to upstage it.
I’ve been making udon for two, for me and Paula, but I made myself udon for one to take the photos you see here. Meanwhile, Paula was enjoying some of our hard-earned homemade tamales for lunch (more tamale recipes coming soon!); and I wasn’t even jealous.
Print both recipes. (PDF)
RECIPES:
Vegetarian Kombu-Mushroom Dashi
(Serves 2)
Active time: 10 minutes; Total time 8-12 hours
Ingredients:
~ 1-2 small sheets kombu (dried kelp; available at most Asian markets)
~ 4 cups water
~ ½ oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
Special equipment needed:
~ fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth
How to make it:
1. Gently wipe any gritty parts off of the kombu using a damp kitchen cloth, but do not wipe away too much of the white powder that coats the seaweed; that will give the dashi much of its flavor. Place the kombu in a pitcher or bowl and add the water. Cover and refrigerate for 8-10 hours (or overnight). After 8-10 hours, remove and discard the seaweed.
2. Add dried shiitake mushrooms to the broth and soak another 1-2 hours (overlapping with the kombu soaking time, or not), then remove and discard the mushrooms.
Note: You can make this vegetarian dashi up to a week ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
3. Before using the dashi, strain it through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth (or at least simply pour it slowly from one container to another, since most of the particles/grit, if any, should be left behind).
Print both recipes. (PDF)
Kitsune Udon in Mushroom Ginger Broth
(Serves 2)
Active time: 20 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes
Mushroom Ginger Broth Ingredients:
~ 1 recipe for vegetarian dashi (above), or 4 cups of any dashi or lightly flavored soup stock
~ 2-3 slices fresh ginger, peeled
~ 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
~ 1 Tbsp. sugar
~ 2 tsp. mirin (or substitute 1 tsp. sugar)
~ ¼ tsp. salt
Kitsune Udon Soup Ingredients:
~ 2 packages/servings frozen Sanuki udon (available at most Asian markets)
~ 2 halved slices of inari-age (abura-age seasoned with sugar and soy sauce for inarizushi)
~ scallions, sliced, to garnish
~ shichimi togarashi or other chili sauce/powder to serve
OPTIONAL:
~ 1 bunch bunashimeji beech mushrooms (or other mushrooms), bottom portion removed
~ dab of wasabi, to serve
Special equipment needed:
~ fine mesh strainer
How to make it:
1. In a small saucepan, add the ginger slices to the vegetarian dashi and bring to a boil; once boiling, reduce the heat to keep the broth at a simmer, 10-15 minutes. Check on the broth frequently in the first 4-5 minutes of cooking, and use a fine mesh strainer to skim off and discard any bitter, astringent white foam that may rise to the top. (If using bunashimeji or other mushrooms, blanch the mushrooms in the ginger broth for 2-3 minutes, or to taste, then remove with a strainer and set aside.)
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil (to cook the frozen udon). Place the sweet inari-age slices in a colander in the sink. Once the water comes to a boil, pour just a little of the boiling water over the inari-age slices in the colander, to wash away some of the excess oil and sugar from the fried tofu. Then set the tofu aside, leave the colander in the sink, and return the pot of boiling water to the burner.
3. Once the broth in the smaller saucepan has been simmering nearly 10 minutes, add the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and salt, and continue simmering several more minutes until the noodles are ready.
4. When the broth is nearly done, add the frozen udon to the boiling water in the large saucepan, and cook for about 2 minutes total (using chopsticks to gently break the blocks of noodles apart). Then pour the udon into the colander, give it a brief rinse with water, and drain it well. Portion the cooked udon into two large soup bowls to serve. Place 2 inari-age slices and half of the cooked mushrooms on top of each bowl of udon.
5. Remove and discard the ginger slices from the broth. Gently pour half the broth over each bowl of udon. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve immediately with shichimi togarashi or some other chili sauce/powder (or wasabi), to taste.
Print both recipes! (PDF)
Related recipe posts:
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| Japanese Kabocha (Pumpkin) Leek Soup | Ochazuke (Rice with Green Tea) | Hearty Miso Soup | (Travel Photos) Kyoto Tofu and Takamatsu Udon |
