Noodle Soup of my dreams

It’s that time of the year. Chilly weather calls for heartwarming comforting meals. Soups, stews and several beige foods rule the roost of this genre. In my sincere attempt to liven up the dreary 4pm sunset Chicago winters I got into experimenting with lots of colorful toppings on a light flavorful broth. While doing that, I went down a rabbit hole of perfecting a vegetarian pho base which honestly was hard to find here in Chicago (so far I like Pho 888 in the Argyle area the most, if you are visiting then make sure to check them out. Their tofu banh mi is pretty rad IMO). I wouldn’t say I have succeeded but if I have to pick Noodle Soup of dreams then this it!!!!

Thick Rice Udon is served in a smoky spicy broth where charred alliums and toasted dry spices form the base and shiitake mushrooms add the Umami kick. Finished with fresh herbs, fried shimeji mushrooms, chiles, pickled cucumbers, lime and a dash of fiery (homemade) chili sauce.The broth is the real star here so feel free to switch up toppings and try with different noodles …but highly recommend try my way at least once.

Incredibly grateful to many many of my Instagram followers and friends for taking out time to test and share feedback in perfecting it! You all are the reason I’m still going…

Ingredients (serves 2 as Main)

For Charred base

1 medium Red Onion, quartered

10g Ginger, roughly cut in chunks

2 Scallion Whites, roughly cut in chunks

1 tbsp Dark Soy (1.5 tbsp if using Light Soy)

1 tsp Brown Sugar

2 tsp Neutral Oil

For spice mix

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/2 stick of Cinnamon

1 Star Anise

4 Cloves

2 Black Cardamom Pods

1 tsp hot Red Pepper Flakes

1 tbsp Neutral Oil

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

1 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

5 lime leaves (substitute with 1 tbsp lime zest)

15g Dried Shiitake Mushrooms soaked in 250ml boiling water (reserve this please) for 20 mins then thinly sliced

600ml Vegetable Stock or Water - if not committed to keeping it vegan then feel free to use Chicken stock

2 tsp Mushroom/Chicken Bouillon (optional)

2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce ( increase to 3.5 tbsp if not using dark soy)

420g cooked noodles of your choice, preferably thick rice noodles but regular Udon or Instant Ramen Noodles are fine too

Topping (all optional but highly recommended)

Reserved scallion greens, thinly sliced

7g Thai Basil, torn (substitute with a mix of cilantro and Italian sweet basil)

1/2 Chile (either Jalapeño or Fresno), thinly sliced

1 small Breakfast Radish thinly sliced into rounds and 1 Persian Cucumber sliced into matchsticks and pickled in 2 tbsp lime juice

Fried Shimeji Mushrooms, handful (optional)

Lime Wedges (an absolute must!)

Directions

🍜Turn the oven Broiler on HIGH. Toss all charred base ingredients in a small baking pan (should be snug). Put the pan under broiler for 10mins or until well charred. Once cool enough to handle finely chop everything and keep it aside. Reserve any leftover soy reduction

🍜Combine spice mix ingredients in a small pan, toast on medium flame for 2 mins or until very aromatic. Then using spice grinder / mortar pestle, whiz these toasted spices into fine powder

🍜In a deep bottom pan heat up oil,  then add chopped charred base ingredients. Sauté for 2 mins then add garlic and fry for a minute. Add ground spice mix and fry everything for 3-4 mins on medium flame

🍜Add sugar and fry for 2 more minutes. Add any leftover soy reduction from step-1, then add lime leaves (if using; don’t add zest at this point), both dark and light soy sauces. Cook for 1 min

🍜Now add mushrooms with soaking liquid, followed by stock. Bring it to boil then reduce the flame to let it simmer for about 18-20 mins

🍜Divide cooked noodles into two bowls. STRAIN and ladle broth into noodle bowls. Now finish with all toppings, add lime zest (if using), finish with a hearty squeeze of lime and slurp right away!

Spicy Turmeric Udon with Smoked Tofu & Crispy Shimeji

I adore the chewy bouncy texture with a bite from Udon noodles. Invariably I always have a packet of cooked Udon in my freezer, no need to thaw straight into boiling water for 1 min and hot sear in the pan with the sauce for another minute or two and done. This version has both chile pepper and sriracha for the kick but feel free to adjust to suit your spice tolerance. Smoked tofu adds another layer of complexity which is hard to substitute so highly recommend procuring some from your local grocery store.

Ingredients (serves 2)
3 tbsp Neutral Oil
1 tbsp Ground Coriander Seeds
1.5-2 tsp Ground Turmeric (adjust based on your personal preference)
30g (4oz) Buna Shimeji Mushrooms (any petite cluster mushrooms should be okay), whole & separated tossed in 1/2 tbsp Corn or Potato Starch
1/2-1 tsp Chile Pepper Flakes (adjust to your spice tolerance)
1/2 tsp Flaky Sea salt
220g Cooked Udon (I prefer the frozen pre-cooked ones from the frozen Aisle in H-Mart)

4 scallions, whites finely chopped & greens thinly sliced for topping
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp Miso Paste well mixed with 2 tsp Sriracha & 1/2 tsp Water
120g Smoked Tofu, finely diced (if living in the US then the Trader Joe’s Sriracha Tofu could work)
1/2 head of roasted garlic - about 10 cloves (optional but highly recommended)
2 tbsp Light Soy (substitute Tamari or Coco Aminos)
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (substitute with Apple Cider Vinegar)
40ml Water (I use reserved Noodle cooking water)

Generous squeeze of Lime (optional but kinda not!)

Directions
🍜 Heat up a wok or deep bottom pan, sprinkle some water to test if it sizzles. Once it does, quickly add oil, coated mushrooms, coriander and turmeric. Fry on high heat for 5-6 mins or until golden brown. Fish out mushrooms into a bowl and leave spiced oil in the wok. Add chile flakes and salt to fried mushrooms, toss well and keep them aside

🍜 Add scallion whites & garlic to the spiced oil. Turn on heat and fry them on low heat for 3-4 mins or until it’s aromatic. Now add miso-sriracha concoction and fry for 1 min then add Tofu & Roasted garlic (if using). Fry for 1 min then add remaining ingredients. Let it cook on medium heat for 2-3 mins or until begins to bubble a lot

🍜 Now transfer the Cooked Udon into wok, fry everything (while mixing well) on high heat for 2 mins. Divide and transfer into serving bowls, top with fried mushrooms & reserved scallion greens. Finish with a generous squeeze of lime!