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! ;)

"Grilled" Miso Onigiri with Recipe! (焼きおにぎり)

One of the first recipes I ever tried was making onigiri and I have loved it ever since! I love trying to make different variations of onigiri and although I have made grilled miso onigiri before, I thought I would make them better than ever before! I am going to apologize ahead of time because I didn't take a lot of pictures because I didn't think about putting it on my blog until after I started making it! >.< I will do a full recipe for this one of these days!

Here is what you will need:

For the Chicken Karaage:

-1 boneless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces

-1 Tbsp. soy sauce

-1/2 Tbsp. ginger juice

-1/2 Tbsp. sake

-1/2 beaten egg

-1 Tbsp. flour

-1 Tbsp. potato starch

-Vegetable or canola oil for frying

For the Yaki Onigiri:

-Freshly steamed rice

-2 tsp. toasted black sesame seeds

-1 Tbsp. shiro miso

-1 Tbsp. mirin

-1/2 tsp. brown sugar

-A pinch of instant dashi powder

-2 tsp. sesame oil

First I made the chicken karaage. I cut the chicken and placed it in a glass container. Then I added in the soy sauce, ginger juice, and sake and mix well with your hand. Make sure to tightly cover the container  and placed it into the fridge for marinate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, toast some black sesame seeds and set them aside. Also cook the rice for the onigiri and set it aside as well. You should also prepare the oil on the stove for frying.



After 30 minutes, drain the now marinated chicken and place it back into the container. Add in the beaten egg, flour, and potato starch and mx it well with your hand.



Using kitchen chopsticks, gently place a few pieces of chicken in the pot at a time and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes or until a nice and crispy golden brown. When they are done, place them on to a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil. Do this until all of the chicken is gone!

I don't have pictures for this part, but I will explain what I did. Get a medium sized bowl and place some of the rice in it with the rice paddle and add some of the toasted sesame seeds. Using the rice paddle, mix the rice with the sesame seeds until mixed thoroughly.

Next, get a piece of saran wrap and place it on your hand. Use the rice paddle to pick up some rice and place on the palm of your hand. Place a piece of the chicken in the middle of the rice and place a little more rice on top. Close the rice in the saran wrap and mold it into whatever shape you want it to be. Without actually touching the onigiri, unwrap it and place it on a plate and repeat until all of the rice is gone!



This is how they should look! Almost there! :P

Okay, I have some pictures for this next step!




For the miso sauce, combine the miso, mirin, brown sugar, and dashi powder and mix it well using kitchen chopsticks.




Next, turn the burner on medium heat and add in the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, place two onigiri onto the pan and cook both sides until light brown.



Get your kitchen brush ready because this next part has to be done quickly!



Gently brush on the miso sauce and flip them using tongs and then brush it on the other side and flip it again. Pay close attention because the sauce can burn VERY easily! Do this to either half or all of your onigiri and...THEY'RE DONE! :D



At first I only "grilled" half, but after trying one, I grilled the rest!!! xD



These onigiri are so delicious and lasted about three days before my boyfriend and I ate them all!



Here is what they look like on the inside!

Onigiri is so versatile, you can be really creative when it comes to what you want to have in the center! Please try it and see what you like best! ^-^

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

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! ^-^