For whatever reason, I always catch a cold during seasonal transitions. Without fail. I dread the mornings when I wake up with a scratchy, dry throat because it means that I have days of stuffy noses and sore throats to look forward to.
Earlier this month, while I was battling another cold, I craved noodle soup made with a clear broth. After throwing together some ingredients, I came up with this ginger miso udon noodle soup. The broth is simple but packed with savory umami flavor. I also served the noodles with pan-fried five-spice tofu for some protein. You can feel free to substitute the tofu with any other protein of your choice.
COOKING NOTES FOR GINGER MISO UDON NOODLES
While not required, I highly recommend cooking the broth for the ginger miso udon noodles with kombu (dried kelp). It gives the broth great umami flavor, and it’s relatively inexpensive. If you want to experiment with kombu in this recipe, I would add a 4×4-inch sheet (roughly that size) of kombu the same time that you add the vegetable broth. Right when the broth is about to come to a boil, remove the kombu from the pot, as it can release a slightly bitter flavor if you let it simmer for too long.
LOOKING FOR MORE NOODLE SOUPS? TRY THESE:
- Zucchini Noodles with Tomato and Coconut Broth
- Hot and Sour Coconut Noodle Soup
- Easy Green Curry Noodles
Ginger Miso Udon Noodles with Five-Spice Tofu
Ingredients
Ginger Miso Udon Noodles
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 tablespoons white/yellow miso paste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 4-inch piece of kombu (optional)
- salt to taste
- 8 ounces dry udon noodles (see note 1)
- 6 ounces bok choy, trimmed and rinsed
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
Five-Spice Tofu
- 1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Garnish
- sliced scallions
- black sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Broth
- In a pot, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat the pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the miso paste and stir the paste constantly until the paste is no longer lumpy. A few tiny lumps is okay.
- Add the coriander, vegetable broth, and kombu, if using. Cover the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the broth to boil. Right before the broth boils, remove the kombu from the pot. It releases a bitter flavor when overcooked. Reduce the heat to low and let the broth simmer as you finish cooking the other ingredients.
Cook the Tofu
- Drain the tofu. Slice the tofu block in half, crosswise, so that you have 2 short and thick rectangles. Cut each half into 4 slices, crosswise, so that you will end up with 8 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle on the diagonal so that you end up with 16 rectangles.
- Mix the soy sauce with the five-spice powder and pour it over a non-stick pan. Take a piece of the tofu, and drag it around the soy sauce mixture. Flip the tofu over to cover all sides with soy sauce and leave the piece of tofu in the pan. Continue with the remaining pieces of tofu, until all the soy sauce has been absorbed by the tofu, and all the pieces are in the pan. Fry the tofu over medium heat for about 4 minutes, flipping halfway. It’s perfectly fine if the pan is dry at this point. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, and continue cooking the tofu for another 3 to 4 minutes, flipping it halfway.
- Turn off the heat and leave the tofu on the pan.
Cook the Noodles and Vegetables
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to boil. Add the dried noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. The noodles I used required about 6 minutes of cooking. Once the noodles are cooked, drain the noodles and run them under cold water.
- Taste the broth and add more salt, to taste. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to boil again. Add the bok choy and cook it for about 2 minutes, until green parts of the bok choy are vibrant green. If you want to cook the carrots, add them along with the bok choy.
- Divide the noodles in bowls and ladle broth over the noodles. Top with the vegetables and tofu, and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You might also see vacuum-sealed, slightly cooked udon noodles in the stores. If you are using those udon noodles, use 3 small packages of them.
- This recipe is meant to serve 2 people with 1 serving for leftovers. If you want this to serve 4 people, I would add another 2 to 4 ounces of dried noodles and another cup or two of broth.
- There is often a lot of dirt stuck around the stem of bok choy. Be sure to rinse the vegetables several times to get rid of the dirt.
Sarah | Well and Full says
I always feel a little bad during the transition of seasons too. These noodles would be the perfect comforting meal! 🙂
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Sarah!
Billy says
This recipe looks stunning Lisa! I love Miso but haven’t used it in too long. Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to make this at home.
Doug Dosdall says
Mmm, that sounds very satisfying! I buy frozen udon noodles at an Asian grocery store. I find them much tastier. If you can get them I recommend it!
Lisa Lin says
I’ll have to look for those noodles!
Lena K says
Added zucchini, broccoli, and mukimame (like edamame), plus some fresh shredded red cabbage on top. A huge hit with the whole family tonight. And the tofu was particularly amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe! I’ll be making it again and again.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Lena! So glad you and the family enjoyed it!
vedangee borikar says
Is the soup sweet or spicy?
Lisa Lin says
It’s savory, not very spicy at all.
Evie says
This was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately the grocer was sold out of kombu so I added some dried wakame. Will definitely make again, looking forward to trying it with the kombu 🙂
Frances says
THIS WAS SO GOOD!! Amazing simple broth and perfect for colder weather. I made way too many veggies to everything else ratio, but that’s never a bad thing.
Lisa Lin says
THANK YOU for making this!
Meera says
Super duper muper luper tuper tasty. All jokes aside, this was a great recipe and very hearty. Great flavour, I have made this multiple times already. So good!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Meera!!
Anej says
Thank you! Very very good! And doesn’t need several hours of cooking, like the other recipes I’ve tried…
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for trying this, Anej!
Kristina Hensel says
This was easy and very tasty. I found some yummy fresh/frozen thick udon noodles at my local Japanese grocery. I added thinly sliced mushrooms for 30 seconds at the end, and topped with chili crunch oil along with the suggested toppings. Very Filling too!
Kristina Hensel says
Oh and also used a combo of nori and dashi instead of the kombu I did not have on hand. Not sure if that is at all close to the kombu flavor profile. I’ll keep an eye out for it to use next time.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Kristina for trying this, as well as your notes!!