Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth

A personal-size, sizzling hot pot with udon for cold days. The combination of aka miso and soy milk makes this a mild yet deep and satisfying dish. As it is individually cooked in a small clay pot, goody choices can easily be personalized. Even better, each pot can be prepared at a different time -- when noodles, soup and goodies are prepped and ready for assembly, everyone gets to enjoy hot pot simmered just for them, which is perfect for busy days when family members are on different schedules. This dish warms you up from the inside, but you still need to be careful not to burn your mouth!

With 80 g dried udon wheat noodles per serving:
529 calories (1/2 of recipe); 26.8 g protein; 13.3 g fat; 75.4 g carbohydrate; 67.2 g net carbs; 723 mg sodium (with shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 214 mg cholesterol; 8.2 g fiber


<Ingredients>

160 g dried udon noodles
1 small carrot (46 g in photo)
1 large or 2 small usuage thin deep-fried tofu
Small handful (70-100 g) enoki mushrooms (80 g in photo)
Small handful (60-70 g) eringi king oyster mushrooms (65 g in photo)
Handful (100 g) saishin yu choy sum (102 g in photo)
2 eggs
2-3 green onions (45 g in photo)

For soup
600 cc kobudashi kelp stock (water + a few pieces of kombu kelp)
18 g sababushi mackerel flakes + katsuobushi bonito flakes mixture
400 cc additive-free tonyu soy milk
2 tsp sakekasu sake lees
1 1/3 tbsp (4 tsp) aka red miso
1 tsp shoyukoji soy sauce rice malt

Dash shichimi pepper

<Directions>
1.

Prepare dashi stock for soup.
Place kobudashi in pot, and bring to boil.
(If no kobudashi is at hand, put cold water and kombu kelp, soak as long as time allows, then bring to boil on low heat.)

Remove kombu before water boils.

Add sababushi + katsuobushi mixture, and simmer on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes.

From time to time remove white foam that appears on surface. 

Strain, and obtain 500 cc (add water or regular dashi to obtain 500 cc as necessary; save any excess for other use).

2.

Meanwhile, prep-boil usuage and slice.
Slice carrot and green onions, and chop yu choy sum.
Remove root ends of enoki, and break up into thinner bundles.
Remove discolored ends of eringi, and tear or slice .

3.

Place thick stems of yu choy sum in a microwaveable container, and microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Add leaves, and microwave for another 15 seconds or so. 

Place on zaru strainer or plate to cool.

4.

Boil udon according the package.
When done, drain, cool with water, rub noodle surface for slippery finish, and rinse until water becomes almost clear.

5.

In individual donabe clay pot, put 250 cc dashi, sakekasu sake lees and carrot, cover, and cook until carrot is soft.

Add enoki and eringi mushrooms, cover, and cook until done.

6.

Add shoyukoji and aka red miso, and stir well.

Pour 200 cc tonyu soy milk in each pot, add udon, cover, and heat through on medium heat.

7.

When udon is hot, top with yu choy sum, green onion, and egg; cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

8.

Sprinkle dash of shichimi pepper, and enjoy.

<Notes>

• Boiling vigorously after adding tonyu soy milk causes it to separate. Cooking on medium to medium low heat is recommended.
• Yu choy sum can be blanched. It can also be directly added to the udon pot, especially when the amount is small. When a large amount is directly added, the soup can take on a "green" taste.
• Any meat and vegetables in your fridge can go into this udon dish. In other words, there is no rule on what goodies you need to include. At least one kind of mushroom and one or two kinds of vegetables are recommended to make the base more complex.
• Both sakekasu and tonyu contribute to cutting back on the amount of miso while adding mellow complexity to the taste.
• The nutrition figures above are based on the assumption that several sips of soup are consumed (60% of soup is consumed). The total sodium figure (when all soup is consumed) is 769 mg with 80 g dried udon. (I use aka miso that contains 550 mg sodium per 15 g -- 220 mg per teaspoon [6 g]).
• To reduce sodium intake further, reduce the amount of udon, skip or reduce the amount of usuage (which absorbs and releases soup in your mouth), and skip the egg or do not eat egg white (each whole egg contains 70-85 mg sodium, mostly from egg white).
  
  If a whole egg is desired, you can use a much smaller uzura tamago quail egg (with chicken egg in photo at right; uzura tamago contains approx. 17 mg sodium per egg; available at Japanese and Korean grocery stores in the US). Not sipping any of the soup is also very effective. 
• Himi udon futomen I used above contains 1680 mg sodium/80 g dry udon. When cooked in a large pot with more water than specified on the package, about 75% of sodium is released into the cooking water while boiling noodles.

(Last updated: May 15, 2017)

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