Udon – Miso Bowl

Have you ever yearned to visit a place for months together and suddenly realized that you can actually make to it in a matter of hours? That precisely explains my sudden disappearance this past week. I am hoping to share this experience with you when time permits.

Coming to today’s recipe, this is yet another restaurant-inspired meal. I have this bad habit of recreating meals that I enjoy in any eatery, be it a local café or a fine diner. Why bad? Because I know how to make it at home, so why bother ordering it again? This practice reduced our eating out options, until I learnt to enjoy the dish even if I know how to prepare it. This is one such dish that I appreciate, no matter where it is prepared.

For this recipe, I have used frozen udon noodles, which are available at Oriental supermarkets. Frozen noodles have much shorter cooking time and are smooth and chewy. They come in blocks which are easier to store and use. Dried udon or soba noodles can be used in its place. Learn to make udon noodles at home from Lara.

Mirin is Japanese cooking wine. This light gold coloured liquid adds sweetness and flavour to the dish. There are two types of mirin – Hon Mirin, which contains 14% alcohol and Shin Mirin, that contains 1% alcohol. When cooked, the alcohol evaporates leaving behind concentrated flavours. Use mirin sparingly because the taste is strong.

Miso is a salty condiment used in Japanese cooking. It is prepared by fermenting soy beans, rice or barley with salt and koji(a mold culture), and are aged in wooden caskets. They are differentiated by factors like the type of grain used, how long they are aged etc. Red and white miso are the common varieties available. If you are not introduced to miso before, start with white miso, because it is milder and smoother than red miso. When stored properly in a refrigerator, it stays fresh for a year.

Ingredients

Frozen udon noodles – 2 blocks (about 8 oz)
Red onion – 1, sliced
Fresh spinach – 1 cup, chopped
Sambal oelek (fresh chilli paste) – 1 tsp
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Miso sauce

Miso – 2 tbsp
Mirin – ¼ cup
Rice vinegar – 2 tbsp
Water or stock – ¼ cup

Method

Cook udon noodles according to instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside. Combine all the ingredients for the miso sauce into a smooth mixture.

In a skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat oil and sauté onion. When the onions have caramelized, reduce the heat, add ginger, garlic and spinach. Let the spinach wilt and add miso sauce. When the sauce bubbles vigorously, add cooked noodles. Toss to combine, squirt lemon juice and serve hot. No additional salt is required as miso is salty enough.

On a different note, my Baked Portabella has won last month’s challenge of No Croutons Required, hosted by Lisa and Holler. Many thanks to the hosts and to those who voted for me.

Arundathi, Miss Bellevue, Namratha, Cynthia have awarded me with ‘Yummy Blog Award’.

I thank these ladies and pass the award to all food bloggers who expend their time and energy to enrich the food blogging community.