Miso Soup with Udon Noodles

It’s no secret that I love noodles. But in the year or so that I’ve been posting to this blog, I haven’t shown nearly enough love to one of my favorite noodle varieties: udon. These Japanese wheat noodles are thick, slippery, dense and chewy. A lot of supermarkets sell dried varieties, but they just don’t deliver the same way the fresh kind do. To get Japanese restaurant results, I went to my local Asian market (99 Ranch) and got a few packs of fresh noodles from the refrigerator section, next to the fish balls and Chinese sausage.

The broth is a gingery, salty, umami-rich mix of vegetable broth, white miso and shitake mushrooms and their soaking liquid. Napa cabbage gives the soup some extra body and textural contrast. The noodles are cooked separately and the broth is ladled over before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
• 2 cups boiling water
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (from about a 2-inch piece)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth or stock
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 (12-ounce) package udon noodles
• 1/2 medium napa cabbage (about 12 ounces), cored, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup white miso

Method

• Place the mushrooms in a medium heatproof bowl and add the boiling water. Let sit until the mushrooms have softened, about 12 minutes
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes
• Increase the heat to medium high. Add the broth or stock and soy sauce and stir to combine. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from their liquid and add them to the saucepan
• Measure 1 cup of the mushroom liquid, being careful not to include any sediment from the bottom of the bowl, and add it to the saucepan. Bring to a boil. (Discard the remaining mushroom liquid.)
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the udon to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and, while stirring, rinse the noodles with cold water until they’re cooled and no longer sticky. Divide all of the udon among 4 deep soup or noodle bowls; set aside.
• When the mushrooms are ready, add the cabbage to the pan, stir to combine, and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the miso and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt as needed. Divide the soup among the bowls of noodles and serve immediately

The Kimchi Experiment, Part 1

Given all the rich, relatively heavy dishes I’ve been posting about lately, I thought I should clarify that, in my view “comfort food” doesn’t have to equate to “cheese-filled,” “bacon-wrapped,” or “deep fried.” It doesn’t have to be a long-simmering stew or a soft, chewy noodle dish. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a hot dish at all. As long as it’s a food you crave; a food that satisfies more than just your appetite; a food that makes you feel content and happy…I think the parameters of what qualifies as “comfort food” can be bent a bit to suit individual tastes.

Anyway, one food that I’ve really gotten into lately is kimchi, the cold, crunchy, pungent, spicy fermented cabbage dish that is an essential part of Korean cuisine. Though it may seem an odd choice as a comfort food, I know I’m not the only one who considers it so. In 2008, when Ko San became the first Korean to travel into space, South Korean scientists had already been spending years developing a version of kimchi that he could take along with him. I think any food this important, any food worth bringing into space as a reminder of home, can be considered comfort food.

After going through a number of store-bought jars all too quickly, I wanted to try my hand at making my own. After a bit of research, I put together a recipe that was thorough in its inclusion of all the necessary or traditional ingredients, but without too many ingredients that would be difficult or impossible for many people to obtain (i.e., minara, red mustard greens, korean chives, etc.).

I’ve included some pictures from the initial salting of the cabbage, and marinating and storing process, as well as the exact recipe I used. The kimchi probably won’t be ready for 2-3 weeks, though, (it’s edible now, of course, but doesn’t build up that sour, pungent flavor that I love about kimchi until after a few weeks of refrigerated fermentation) so there’s more to come in terms of the final results and some ideas for how to use kimchi with some of my other favorite foods…

Comfort food, Korean style

Kimchi

Note: You will want a sealable container to put your finished kimchi in. I am using and recommending glass mason jars, which you can buy at almost any grocery store these days. This recipe yields 5-6 jars’ worth. 

Time: 8 hours (including cabbage soaking time); plus up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator to develop flavor.

Ingredients

2 Napa cabbages

2 cups Kosher salt

1 cup glutinous rice flour

1 cup Korean/Chinese red chile powder (do NOT use Mexican “chili with an I” powder)

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 ripe apple

1 ripe pear

1 yellow onion

1 Korean radish (or 1/2 regular daikon is okay), peeled and julienned

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 cup dried, salted shrimp

Method

• Cut each cabbage into quarters, rinsing between the leaves to remove any dirt. Trim any brown outer leaves or tough root end pieces, then slice cabbage crosswise into 1-2 inch segments, making cuts smaller at the thick, white end of the cabbage, as these parts will reduce in size less than the green leaves.
• Prepare a large bowl of salted water with a ratio of 1 part salt to 8 parts water (I used 1 cup and 8 cups, respectively). Soak cabbage in water for 20 minutes. Remove cabbage and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of salt in between leaves and return to bowl. Soak for 6 hours, stirring every 2 hours.

• Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. In a small saucepan, whisk together glutinous rice flour with 5 cups water, until smooth. Heat over medium-low, whisking frequently until mixture becomes thick and translucent, about 5 minutes. Cool completely, then stir in chile powder.

• In a food processor, combine garlic, ginger, apple, pear, and onion. Blend into a fine mince verging on coarse paste consistency, adding a splash of water if needed.

• In a large bowl, combine rice flour/chile mixture with garlic/ginger puree from processor. Add radish, green onions, fish sauce and dried shrimp.

• Drain cabbage well, squeezing as much liquid out as possible, but do not rinse. Mix cabbage with marinade, coating leaves completely. Transfer the mixture to glass jars or other containers, including some of the liquid. Leave at least an inch at the top of the jar, as the fermentation will create gas that will expand and could cause leakage if container is too full. Seal containers tightly.
• Leave sealed kimchi out at room temperature for 24 hours, then move jars to the refrigerator. The kimchi is fine to eat at this point, but will develop its unique, sour, pungent bite over the course of 1-3 weeks of continued fermentation.