Happy Boy Recipes

GREAT VARIATIONS

You can really get as creative as you want making Udon Soup. If you have your own soup stock, use that as the base. Other additions that I like include Kim-chee, a dash of miso, seaweed, sesame seeds, or as one fellow Happy Boy employee suggested, watercress. I'm a vegetarian, but you can certainly add meat to the soup too (which would be much more traditional Japanase anyway.) You can also substitute about ½ pound of our stir-fry greens mix for the kale and chard.

Easy Udon Soup with Kale and Chard

Total Time: 20 Minutes Servings: 2 - 3


Posted by Daniel

This meal is so easy to prepare that it's a go-to snack for me late on a Friday night when I have to wake up early the next morning to go to the Farmer's Market. I pack it full of more veggies than the average Udon soup served in Japan, but hey... I like veggies! I also find that the boiled veggies add a rich mineral broth which heightens the flavors of the soup.

INGREDIENTS
8 oz dry Udon Noodles
½ bunch of kale
½ bunch of chard
3-5 baby carrots
4 cups of water
soup bouillon base
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes (or substitute a store-bought Asian chili sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Cook the Udon noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Heat 4 cups of water to a boil.

Tear or chop the kale and chard into bite size pieces. Cut the carrots into half-inch rounds.

Add the soup base, the veggies, and chili. I use the vegetarian “Better Than Bouillon,” but you can use whatever soup base you prefer (or fresh stock). Just follow the instructions to come out with 4 cups (1 quart) of stock.

Cook down until the carrots are tender and the greens have wilted.

Season with cracked pepper and salt if necessary (the soup stock may be salty enough already.)

Add the cooked Udon back into the soup, and serve piping hot.