Recipe: a heartwarming chicken udon soup

Japanese cuisine may just be one of my favourites in the world – rich, diverse and comforting. And when it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a good ramen soup! Here’s my most recent take on a few ingredients I love using: udon noodles, chicken and mushrooms. You’ll love this!

And the best part? It’s extremely easy to cook!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tblspn peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 450gr boneless skinless chicken thigh (or breast for a lighter soup)

For the sauce:

• 3 tblspns Japanese sake
• 3 tblspns soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar

For the soup:

• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 225gr brown mushrooms, sliced (add some fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms for extra flavour!)
• 3 green onions, sliced, green with their white parts separated
• 1 tblspn ginger, minced
• 2 packs (~500gr) udon noodles
• 1 tblspn wasabi sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the oil into a frying pan or wok , turning heat to medium. Let it heat up for a few minutes.
2. Mix the sauce in a small bowl while heating up the pot.
3. Add the chicken thighs/breast into the pot without overlapping. Sear until the bottom turns golden brown (~2-3 minutes). Flip and sear the other side.
4. Once both sides of the chicken are seared, pour the sauce into the pot. Turn to low heat. Cover and let it cook until the chicken thighs are cooked through (~5 minutes). Once done, transfer the chicken to a big plate.
5. Add the broth, mushrooms, white part of the green onion, and ginger. Turn the heat setting to medium. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are cooked through (~10-12 minutes).
6. Add the noodles and the green part of the green onions. Cook until the noodles heat up (~2 minutes). Turn off the heat.
7. Slice the cooked chicken and place it on top of the noodles.
8. Serve hot adding some wasabi sesame seeds for extra flavour!

Source: adapted from Omnivores Cookbook