You know what's delicious? Miso Udon Noodle Soup. Yep, bet you didn't see that one coming!
Oi. That's not a good opening line, Sam. You are a full-time writer now, you have to do better than that, Sam. But it's Sunday morning, and it's snowy, and coffee is delicious, and my brain is not co-operating to make a better, wittier, catchier, more engaging opening line right now, so instead I'm just going to talk to myself in the third person, Sam. Geeze, Sam.
Does anyone else have a case of the February crazies? Because I'm feeling a little cray-cray at the moment. What is it about February that seems to make the world (or maybe just Toronto?) go a little kooky? Lack of vitamin D? In need of those warm summer breezes? Trapped inside for too many hours of the day? Or is it just a lack of soup? (See what I did there)? All wit over here.
Good news friends, in order to remedy my craziness, I made soup. Because soup = all things good and healing.
WARNING: Miso Udon Noodle Soup is slurpy, slurpy business. Slurping is completely unavoidable, so don't even try. Maybe not the best date night soup, but definitely the best warm you from this inside and make you feel less crazy in Februrary, soup.
Miso udon noodle soup takes under 30 minutes to make, and it's full of ever-lasting layers of flavour goodness.
Thick and satisfying udon noodles, sautéed chewy shiitake mushrooms, juicy bok choy (one of my most favourite greens), and soft tofu cubes all swimming in a gorgeous miso broth. Yes, sir. I could eat this soup every day!
To make Miso Udon Noodle Soup: Start by chopping up all your veggie and tofu goodness. I used shiitake mushrooms but if you don't have those, button mushrooms will work just fine.
Add the oil to a large pot over medium-hight heat. When hot add in the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until they have softened and begin to brown. Remove them from the pot and set aside in a medium bowl.
Return the pot to the heat and now add the bok choy and garlic. If needed, add a splash of water to stop them from sticking. Cook another 5 minutes or so until the bok choy is softened. Remove from the pot and add to the bok choy and garlic to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Now return the pot back to the heat and add the water. Use your spoon to scrape up any bits that were stuck to the bottom. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Whisk in the miso paste, then add the udon noodles. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes until the noodles are loosened.
Add the bok choy, garlic, and mushrooms back into the pot along with the miso soup and heat for another 1 - 2 minutes until everything is heated through.
Divide among bowls and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and hot sauce if using.
Miso Udon Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 100 g shiitake mushrooms or buttons mushrooms
- 8 heads of baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise into quarters
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 6 cups water
- ¼ cup white miso paste
- 2 200g packets udon noodles (the pre-cooked kind)
- ½ block soft tofu, cubed
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- hot sauce or sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pot over medium-hight heat. When hot add in the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until they have softened and begin to brown. Remove them from the pot and set aside in a medium bowl.
- Return the pot to the heat and now add the bok choy and garlic. If needed, add a splash of water to stop them from sticking. Cook another 5 minutes or so until the bok choy is softened. Remove from the pot and add to the bok choy and garlic to the bowl with the mushrooms.
- Now return the pot back to the heat and add the water. Use your spoon to scrape up any bits that were stuck to the bottom. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Whisk in the miso paste, then add the udon noodles. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes until the noodles are loosened. Add the bok choy, garlic, and mushrooms back into the pot along with the miso soup and the tofu. Heat for another 1 - 2 minutes until everything is heated through. Divide among bowls and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and hot sauce if using.
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
If you liked this recipe you might also enjoy:
Paul Holmes says
Lockdown life-savers right here. Going to work through them all. 🙂
Barbara Arrazola says
My soup went horribly wrong. I love miso soup and never tried making it before. I doubled the recipe but used 2 pots so everything cooked properly. I bought 3-216 gram packs of dry udon noodles (a bit less than a double recipe called for) and cooked them separately. It looked like an incredibly large amount of noodles. I did everything as instructed but really messed things up in the end. I made the soup a few hours before we ate it and added all of the noodles according to the recipe and then let it all sit for a few hours. It wasn't soup in the end but noodle mush. And I couldn't taste the miso at all. Really disappointing. If I try this again I will use half the amount of noodles the recipe calls for and not add them until it's time to eat. Noodles will be stored separately for leftovers and added to warm up with the broth.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Barbara, sorry it didn't turn out for you. Were the noodles you purchased the ones that are already soft and tender (like the noodles I linked), or were they dry and hard? I used the soft ones here which may be why you had too many noodles. Any kind of noodle left in broth will always absorb the liquid, turning it into noodle mush as you described. Not all soups store well unfortunately. I hope that helps!
Alexandra Abraham says
Sam? Please don't think me rude... Just a bit of a variation... The best way to add the miso is right at the end, when all the cooking is finished. Put the portion of miso into a small fine sieve, and rest the bottom of the sieve on top of the stock, so that it comes through the sieve, then you agitate the miso with a spoon, and diffuse the miso into the stock. The stock must be off the heat. This prevents big chunks of miso ending up in the mouth and giving you a huge oral slap of saltiness! Never boil or simmer miso. Let it dissipate into the stock, and serve the broth, after all the food portions have first been distributed into the bowls....
Katie says
This one was a win for both me and my carnivore boyfriend. I followed the recipe almost exactly except I have red miso paste instead of white. He puts ALL the sriracha in his bowl while I just like a little heat. The recipe came together quickly so it was perfect for a weeknight meal. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!!
Srivani says
OMG so easy (typical from you, Sam)! And so tasty. I used a mixture of Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms. My children LOVE miso soup and they LOVE mushrooms and tofu, and they LOVE udon noodles, so this was a definitely HIT at our dinner table.
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed another one 🙂
Kimberly says
I made this soup and thought I did something horribly wrong. Then I discovered I just do NOT like bok choy. I had never tried it before. Is there a good replacement for that vegetable? I'd like to try again. I know I'm going to love this soup, when bok choy is far, far away from it.
Srivani says
You could probably just omit any bok choy substitute all together; but if you want the green, you could add some spinach at the end.
Sam Turnbull says
Kale, spinach, or broccoli would all be great subs. The cooking time will change with each tho, so look up cooking times of the vegetable you are going to use. ENjoy!
Maggie says
I used 4 cup of veg broth and 2 cups of water with the addition of tablespoon of red curry and sriracha (I like it hot). I got oyster mushrooms instead because they have such a great chewy-ness to them. All together it was easy and a MAJOR hit at dinner. 5 star for the recipe with adaptation to my spicy taste.
Sam Turnbull says
Great!
Lariza says
I loved this soup. Also, very easy to make. I didn't have bok choy, I added spinach.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Lariza 🙂
Deborah Zak says
Hi Sam.....100 grams of mushrooms equals how many ounces.cups?
Sam Turnbull says
About 2 cups
kathy says
My new favorite soup! I have never cooked with miso paste and this recipe is so easy and tasty. Couldn't find baby bokchoy so used what (adult?) bokchoy I had left over from another meal along with some spinach. It was delish! Thanks, Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Kathy 🙂
Deb Zak says
Hi Sam....do you have something to convert Grams to American weight?
Sam Turnbull says
By American weight, I'm guessing you mean ounces? Here is a calculator.
Brigitte says
I am just done cooking this soup , I had 1 cup of leftover vegetable broth so I did 5 cups water and 1 cup broth sauteed fresh ginger with some amino acid and for spiciness gochujang ...very good , next time I will make it with half vege broth and half water.
Rachel says
I love that this recipe is so quick and easy to make! Super comforting and super tasty!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Glad you loved it, Rachel 🙂
marilyn says
lOVE all your recipes that I have tried so far.
But I have a question on this one. At what point do you cook the TOFU?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you are enjoying them, Marilyn! No need to cook the tofu separately, you just add it to the soup at the end to heat through. You can eat tofu raw and because soft tofu is tender you do not want to add it too early or it might fall apart. Enjoy!
pseudonym says
I had the same question! The recipe does not give instructions for the tofu. Sam could you update the recipe instructions? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
The instructions for the tofu are in step 3. You simply add it to the pot with the other ingredients. Enjoy!
Lisa Chakerian says
Another fantastic recipe, Sam! My husband and I love it so much I've literally made it almost every day for two weeks! LOL! That sounds so crazy but it's true!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! That's awesome! So very happy you love it so much 🙂
Sandra says
Wow Sam this is SO delicious! Just made this tonight and it's fresh and tasty. Sautéing the mushrooms is a fantastic idea. I didn't have much Bok Choy so I also added spinach. I will definitely make this again! Thank you, Sandra
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it, Sandra!
Lovethescents says
Do you think I can freeze this? I just love your recipes but only cook in bulk once or twice a week. Crazy busy here!
Sam Turnbull says
Usually noodles turn mushy after freezing them. You could make the broth and veggies and add the noodles in fresh when you heat it up! Hope that helps 🙂
lovethescents says
You're right about the noodles, and yes, that does help! Thank you so much. We are so grateful to have discovered your blog. I started following your recipes a few weeks ago have been making nearly everything you post! Soooo delicious. Thank you for all your hard work. Peace to you.
Sam Turnbull says
Awww shucks! So happy to hear that. Thank you so much 🙂
Amy Morris says
I almost didn't click on this email because "of course I know how to make miso soup." So glad I did. I think next week might be an "All Sam Recipes" week! Looks amazing!
Sam Turnbull says
For real!? Wow! I'm totally flattered! I hope you love each and every one!
Diane says
Mmmmmmmmmm. Looks delicious. Heading out for bok choy. Hopefully there will be leftovers for tomorrow's lunch but I highly doubt it
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! It's pretty filling so hopefully there will be 😀 Enjoy!
Pennie says
Looks fab! But wondering can I replace with any other GF noodle, say a ramen or a buckwheat soba?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Just cook the noodles separately according to the package directions, then add them in along with the bok choy and mushrooms at the end. Enjoy!
Josee says
I knew I should have picked up that package of bok choi while picking up groceries yesterday! Will have to go back and get them so I can try out this recipe.... looks absolutely slurpilicious! Will definitely help to ease the kookiness. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha, perfect! I hope you enjoy it, Josee!