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! ;)

Poached Egg on Toast = My New Favorite Breakfast!!!

This is such a healthy recipe...and it's easy to make too! The first time I made this a few weeks ago, I was planning on going to the gym and wanted a good breakfast that will energize me and give me all of the necessary proteins that I needed. 

I looked it up somewhere online and found out how to make this and I was so glad that I did! It takes about 7-10 minutes to make! 

It's also best served on wheat bread!!! xD

My Versions of Gordon Ramsay's Asian Dishes!!!

I really look up to Gordon Ramsay and after watching an episode of his Ultimate Cookery Course dedicated to quick Asian recipes, I knew I had to try them out for myself! The episode I referenced is here! It's really a great show! Although, being a bit of an Asian food buff, I did notice a few things that I would change about the recipes...they turned out great! :D

First, I made Gordon Ramsay's Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles. Here is what I used:

-A box of flat and wide rice noodles

-1 boneless chicken breast (butterflied and chopped into strips)

-1 head of broccoli

-2-3 garlic cloves (finely diced)

-Soy sauce to taste

-2 beaten eggs

-1/2 lime (to squeeze)
-Peanut oil for cooking
-Hot chili oil

And...it turned out amazing!!! I made this twice in one week! The lime really gives it a nice zest! I even made a version with mushrooms and it was fantastic! You can really be creative with this dish! :D


The second dish I tried was called Noodle Soup with Poached Egg and Onions!

Here is what I used:

-Shiro miso paste

-Instant dashi granules

-Freshly grated ginger

-Dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in hot water for 20 mins.)

-Soy sauce to taste

-1 egg

-Thinly sliced portobello mushrooms

-Udon noodles

-Fresh spinach

-Green onions
-Sake 

My favorite part was to pile on the mushrooms, udon, and spinach, followed by the rest of the soup! I added shichimi on top of course! ;)



I will post the recipes for these delightful dishes when I make them again!!! xD

Marinated Eggs!!!

Hello all!!! I just wanted to make a quick post dedicated to marinated eggs! They are delicious and are perfect for soups or just for snacking! And they are so easy to make! 

Here is what you will need (minus the platypus! :P ):

-1 egg

-3 Tbsp. soy sauce

-3 Tbsp. mirin

-Ziplock bag

-Mini strainer (or anything to get the eggs out of the boiling water)

First, you have to fill a pan half full of water and bring it to a boil. Gently place the egg (or eggs) in the pan using a mini strainer or spoon.

Then, allow the egg to boil for about 20 minutes if you want a hard boiled egg. Let it boil for a bout 10 minutes if you want a more soft boiled egg. 

Next, run the egg under cold water to cool it down and place it into a bowl filled with cold water and ice. Carefully crack the egg and while continuously dipping the egg into the water, gently peel off the shell. 

Then, take a paper towel and pat the egg dry and set aside.

Sit the ziplock bag on the counter and add the soy sauce and mirin and swish it around until they are mixed. Now place the egg in the bag.

Next, use a tie of some kind to keep the egg submerged in the marinade and place it in the fridge. The longer you marinade, the tastier it will be so I suggest that you let it marinade overnight for the best result! 

After you take it out of the fridge, remove the egg, lightly dab it dry and either cut it in half, or leave it as is!!! AND IT'S DONE!!!

My all time favorite use of the marinated egg is as a yummy topping for miso ramen! <3

I hope you liked my post! I can't wait to see what you come up with! 

The possibilities are endless!!!! ^-^

Tamagoyaki Time!

Wow! It's been quite a while since I posted anything on this blog...I didn't realize how dedicated that I had to be! Well, that is going to change! 

Anyway, I wanted to make a post dedicated to tamagoyaki (tamago-egg, yaki-grill) which is a Japanese omelet made by rolling cooked egg in layers. It's fun to make and delicious!!! 

 The first tamagoyaki recipe that I used was in an amazing cookbook titled the Just Bento Cookbook by Makiko Itoh and I still use it to this day! This book is a must have for anyone willing to try making bentos or that just want to make simple lunches that are fun and easy to make! You can purchase this book on Amazon here. 

Okay, this is what you will need to make tamagoyaki:

•4 large eggs
•1 Tbs. sugar 
•1 tsp. mirin
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
•Oil for cooking
•Non-stick frying pan (one with a flat bottom)
•Pair of cooking chopsticks
•Wad of kitchen paper
•Sushi rolling mat

First, you need to crack all of the eggs into a bowl and remove the germinal discs (not pictured). Then add in the sugar, mirin, salt, and soy sauce to the egg and stir with chopsticks. Make sure that when you are stirring, you keep the chopsticks on the bottom of the bowl to prevent the mixture from becoming frothy! 

Next, turn the heat on medium low and either spray or add the oil to the pan and lightly rub it with the kitchen towel to reduce it. 

To check to see if the pan is hot enough, dip the chopsticks into the egg mixture and gently slide them across the bottom of the pan. If it is hot enough, the egg mixture will cook instantly!

Then, add in just a little bit of the egg mixture into the pan and allow it to cook. Keep a close eye on it and make sure to pop any bubbles with your chopsticks and continuously check the edges to make sure that the mixture isn't sticking to the pan. After it is cooked enough, gently, very gently use the chopsticks to roll the egg mixture from one side of the pan to the other.

Now, add in a little bit more of the egg mixture and gently lift up the already rolled egg to make sure that the newly added egg mixture goes directly beneath it. Allow it to cook and once again check for bubbles or sticking.

Once again roll the egg mixture to the other side of the pan. I almost forgot to mention that after rolling it a few times, you might have to add a little more oil depending on the pan. If more oil is needed, be sure to use the wadded up kitchen towel to absorb some of it before adding more of the mixture. Repeat these steps until all of the egg mixture is gone! We are almost done! ^-^

After all of the egg mixture has been cooked and rolled, it should look similar to the picture above (If it doesn't, don't worry! The next stop will fix it).

Now carefully roll the tamagoyaki onto a kitchen towel and dab it in order to get rid of excess oil and then wrap it up in the sushi mat and let it sit for a few minutes.

Optional: while you are waiting you can grate some daikon radish for yummy topping that really gives you that umami taste! (umami-pleasant, savory taste) (Not pictured)

Then, you take a sharp knife and cut it into half inch pieces and place them onto a plate and...

It's done!!! ^-^

Kyle approves!!! I have almost completely converted him into eating Japanese food. A year ago, he refused to try anything new, but now he begs me to make him miso soup and tamagoyaki almost on a daily basis!

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I also wanted to mention that you could add vegetables such as spinach or broccoli, but you should lessen the amount of sugar! Be creative!!! ^-^