Udon is my favorite non sushi Japanese dish.  The nice, thick soba noodles make for a hearty soup that seems to always hit the spot.  I didn’t discover udon until my small red neck town got its first real sushi restaurant when I was about twenty-two.  Since then, I’ve been enjoying all different kinds and variations.  I never used to make this very often at home because some of the ingredients weren’t exactly easy to come by.  Fifteen years ago, I couldn’t find a won ton wrapper to save my life.  Now, they have them at major grocery stores like Albertsons.  Ten years ago, trying to find whole star anise in my town would have been an undertaking that even the illustrious Indiana Jones would have had trouble with.  Now, we have a local spice shop.  Still, the closest asian food market is thirty miles away, so if we forget an ingredient, it aint exactly a trip the end of the street.  Another thing that didn’t really exist several years ago was amazon.  I am very glad god invented amazon.  Any ingredient one could ask for is just a click away, delivered by an angel in brown, driving a truck that drives my dog ape shit whenever he hears it.  I still need some practice developing the right flavors for the best udon and I feel like I have to make up for lost time.  But I am taking it one batch at a time and would love any feed back anyone might have.

Recipe

Ingredients:

Two 7 ounce packages of dun noodles, fresh or frozen
4 cups chicken or beef broth
2 large eggs
6-8 medium bok choy leaves, sliced vertically
8oz firm tofu, cut into bite size cubes (optional, but we like the extra protein)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 stick of cinnamon, whole
2 star anise, whole
2 green onions, slice thin
Togarashi for garnish (find it at an asian market or here at amazon.com) So delicious! Worth the $2-3 investment.

Directions:

In a medium pot, bring your broth to a simmer.  Add in the whole cinnamon stick and star anise.  Allow the spices to infuse into the broth for 5-10 minutes.  Remove the whole spices and discard.

In a separate small pot, bring fairly shallow water to a boil.  Poach your eggs by cracking them into the boiling water as gently as possible so you do not break the yolk.  Once cooked to your preferred “doneness” remove the eggs with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside.

Turn the broth heat to medium and add the udon noodles and tofu (if using) to the spice infused broth and cook for about 3 minutes or until the noodles start to get more tender.  Add the book chop and continue to cook for an additional two minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the soy sauce.  Divide into two soup bowls.  Put one poached egg into each bowl.  Garnish with the sliced green onions and as much togarashi as you would like.

Perfect for a cold winter night.

I found the recipe here but changed up the way the eggs were incorporated and added tofu and togarashi.  Their way of cooking the eggs seemed more complicated (I would break the yolk) and I prefer easy.

Published by daddyandmefoodie

Hi, my name is Dawson. There is a whole world out there and I want to see as much as I can with my beautiful wife and amazing daughter. It is never too early or late to discover new places and what people eat there. Born and raised in a small town in California, I've led a simple life that leaves me craving far off destinations. My mom taught me the basics of cooking and I have been working in kitchens, delis, bakeries and cafeterias ever since. So along with recommendations of cool spots to eat, I will also add a few recipes here and there to share with everyone what I have been sharing with my family. View all posts by daddyandmefoodie