I love udon, but had never tried making it myself. My family grew up next door to a big extended Japanese family that always invited us over for their parties and feasts — and udon was one of the regular items. So, although my parents and I never learned how to make it, I did learn to appreciate really good udon.
Like pho, udon is a soup made up of very simple basic ingredients that together combine to make a delicious flavorful dish.
I am not even sure how or when I came across this recipe; I had it stashed away in my Evernote recipe database for a while. But, last monthly I finally gave it a try when I was looking for easy simple healthy soup recipes during one of the few chilly spells we get during Southern California winters.
Jeff and I made this recipe on a night when it was just the two of us, and we were not disappointed at all. We both agreed this recipe is a total keeper. I can’t wait to try it again! Technically, the recipe makes 4 normal servings. But we did both cheat and eat big ol’ heaping bowls since it was so good.
- ½ oz small dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
- 2 tsp minced ginger root
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp light or low-sodium soy sauce
- 6 oz fresh udon noodles
- 2 cups sliced bok choy
- ½ cup sliced snow peas
- 4 oz raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 large green onions
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- In a bowl cover mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water; let stand for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.
- Slice mushroom caps thinly; set aside. Discard stems.
- In a nonstick wok or large nonstick saucepan sprayed with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until meat is barely cooked through. Add ginger root and garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over high heat, combine stock, soya sauce and reserved mushroom liquid; bring to a boil. Add udon noodles; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook for 4 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add sliced mushroom caps, bok choy, snow peas and shrimp; cook for 2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and snow peas are tender-crisp.
- Add bean sprouts and green onions; cook until heated through.
- Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
