Miso Noodle Soup with Vegetables

• August 21, 2014  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Miso soup is comfort for the heart, soul, and body, especially if you throw in some healthy tofu, crunchy vegetables and fun slurpy noodles.

Today is a great day to take your kids on a “trip to Asia” by exploring your local Asian market, but a well stocked supermarket or health food store will also carry the Asian ingredients needed for this recipe. If you can find udon noodles do use them, kids love their wondrous texture and shape, but really any type of noodle will be just fine.

You need:

8 ounces fresh (or dried) udon noodles*
6 cups dashi* or low-sodium chicken stock
⅓ cup miso paste*, (white or yellow miso are sweet and creamy, red miso is stronger and saltier.)
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
4 ounces cubed firm tofu
2-3 cups quick cooking vegetables, like chopped bok choy, spinach, corn and snow peas

*found in the Asian section of your grocery store

Garnish:
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half
½ cup chopped scallion
Hot sauce if you please

To make 4-6 servings:

In a big pot of salted water boil the udon noodles according to the packages directions, drain and rinse well.

Meanwhile, in your soup pot heat the dashi or chicken stock until simmering, whisk in the miso paste.

Throw in the remaining ingredients and simmer (do not let the stock boil!) until the vegetables are cooked but still sprightly with crunch, about 3-4 minutes.

Fold in the noodles and simmer until hot.

Pour soup into individual soup bowls, garnish each with 1/2 an egg and a shower of scallions.

Enjoy slurping!