Not Feeling Well? Have Some Miso Soup! :D

I wasn't feeling too well yesterday and my mom knew just what to get me in order to make me feel better! Shiro miso paste, firm tofu, and a cookie! If you didn't know already, I LOVE PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! That's why she got me the cookie! xD 

I already had the dashi and wakame so it took me around 7 minutes to make this nutritious and delicious soup! I always add a little shichimi on top for added flavor! ^-^

So if you are feeling under the weather, try giving this soup a try! It's easy to make and is well worth it!!! 

Miso Mushroom and Spinach Soup!

This recipe is based off of a recipe that I found by Gordon Ramsay called "Noodle Soup With Poached Egg and Spring Onion." It's just like his, but I add a few more things here and there! ;)

My boyfriend was actually not feeling well at work so I made this tasty and healthy soup to make him feel better and I have to say...it worked! ^-^

Here is what you will need ( I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients so bear with me! ^^;):

-A package of udon noodles

-Fresh baby spinach

-Fresh sliced portobello mushrooms

-Dried shiitake mushrooms

-1 egg

-Dashi stock

-Sake

-Chopped green onions

-Freshly grated ginger

-Shiro miso

-Optional: Narutomaki or kamaboko

-Optional: Shichimi

First of all, place the dried mushrooms in a container with warm water and allow them to re-hydrate for about 20 minutes. Save the broth.

Make the dashi stock. I make it using dashi granules.

Bring it to a boil on high heat and use a whisk to make sure that all of the granules have dissolved.

Grate some peeled fresh ginger. I don't typically measure for this recipe because everything is really to your own personal taste.

After 20 minutes, remove the mushrooms from the water and chop them into slices and place them in the stock.

Bring the dashi stock to a low boil again, but this time add in soy sauce, sake, freshly grated ginger, and some of the leftover mushrooms broth to taste.

Boil the udon noodles according to the directions on the package.

Bring the stock to a simmer and gently add in an egg and poach it.

Next, get a bowl ready and add some raw portobello mushrooms to the bottom...

Followed by the cooked udon noodles...

And then add some cleaned and fresh baby spinach on top! Almost there! xD

Don't forget to chop up at least 1 green onion! 

Now for my favorite part...add in as much miso as you like! 

I'm all out of miso now :(

This one was mine! :P

Although it's optional, adding in some narutomaki or kamaboko (pictured above) adds a great flavor to the soup!

And this is the boyfriend's xD

The only thing that my boyfriend doesn't like on his is the poached egg! His kamaboko are hiding! xP

The way I make it is enough for exactly two servings! Perfect! 

Here's a close up! Just look at that tasty shichimi on top! I highly recommend using it! 

And another picture...

The boyfriend approves of this soup! ;)

I Made Tori Zosui (Chicken Porridge) For The First Time!

I noticed that I have been doing a lot of impromptu cooking lately. I had friends coming over for dinner last week and they were bringing pasta over for dinner for me to make. Lately, I have been staying away from a lot of foods that I used to love like spaghetti and some meats so I wanted to make something different for myself. Therefore, I didn't really want to have spaghetti and sauce for dinner so I got a little creative! 

I decided to make chicken porridge or tori zosui in Japanese. It's a delicious, hearty, and healthy dish that I decided to make! 

When I decide to make this again (hopefully soon), I can post the recipe! ^-^

All it consists of is chicken stock, dashi, mirin, steamed rice, chicken, freshly grated ginger, and some salt and pepper for seasoning!

My Miso Soup With Recipe!

Miso soup has become a staple for my household over the past few years...when we're sick, we crave it, at night, we crave it, in the morning, we crave it...okay! We crave it all of the time! It's also super easy to make! ^-^

Here is what you need:

-8 Cups of water

-2 tsp. instant dashi granules

-Miso to taste

-1 Tbsp. dried dried wakame (seaweed) 

-1/2 tofu block cubed

-Chopped green onion

-Chopped carrots (not pictured)

-Chopped daikon radish
-Fresh spinach
-Shichimi (Japanese 7 flavored chili powder) (OPTIONAL)

First, dry off the tofu with a dry kitchen towel and place it under something in order to drain the rest of the liquid.



Prepare the rest of the ingredients...

Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add in the carrots and daikon and parboil them until they are tender. Between 10-15 minutes. Also parboil the washed spinach for about a minute and set aside.

Bring the 8 cups of water to a boil, add in the dashi granules, and use a whisk to help dissolve the granules.



Bring the heat down to medium low and add in the tofu, carrots, and daikon. Drain the seaweed and add it into the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes. After it's done simmering, add in the spinach and stir it all together! Take it off the heat! Almost there! :P



Place the miso paste a small mesh strainer and use a pair of cooking chopsticks to dissolve the miso into the pot! We like a lot of miso at my house! ;)



My boyfriend and I already ate half of it before I took the above picture! It's just that good! xD



Place some green onions on top! Adding a little (or a lot) of shichimi makes it taste even better! I highly recommend it! And IT'S DONE!!! :D



This nourishing soup is perfect for any time of day and is so good for you! Please try it at home! ^-^