Udon Noodle Soup

This recipe is a hodge-podge of a bunch of recipes that I saw online. It's not a hard soup to make. You just need some dashi--essential in Japanese soups. It can be home made or made from granules like a boullion. The can be made with kelp, bonito, or mushrooms--or all of these. I went to the Asian supermarket to get my dashi granules. While there I picked up some daikon--Japanese radish and oyster and dried shitake mushrooms. I had a soup at a Japanese restaurant once and was really hoping to recreate it. I'm sure this wasn't perfect, but it was very good. I did find it a little tricky to eat the noodles in the soup. Maybe next time I will break them in half first.

Udon Noodle Soup

I didn't really measure, so this is a best guess on the amounts

6 cups dashi

1/2 pack of udon noodles

1/4 cup green onions

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup matchstick daikon

3/4 cup mushrooms (shitake, oyster, whatever you want)

1 lb ground pork

2 cloves garlic

1 T ginger

2 T soy sauce
1 T mirin
2 tsp sugar
poached egg (optional)

Boil udon noodles until al dente. Set aside. Prepare dashi. Add soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, and daikon. 

Mix pork with ginger and garlic. Roll into small meatballs. Heat frying pan over medium heat and cook 5 to 8 minutes, turning until browned all over. Add to soup.

Place noodles in bowl and cover with soup. Place poached egg on top, if desired.