This make-it-your-own udon noodle soup is one of my simple go-to’s on a weeknight. Let’s shake things up this week and explore some Japanese cuisine. Let’s see what this little white boy can do!! Shoutout to that fabulous little lady at the Japanese store who helped me navigate the aisles when I clearly looked lost.

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RECIPE:

2 handfuls Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
3 carrots
1 inch ginger root
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 or 2 eggs
1 cup of white beech mushrooms
1 bunch of baby bok choy
2 blocks fresh frozen udon noodles (half package)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar

1. Finely slice carrots, garlic, and ginger into matchsticks
2. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil on high heat in a small pot. Reduce heat to a low flame and add 2 handfuls of bonito flakes– steep for 30 seconds. Strain into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. This liquid is now our dashi.
3. Oil and heat a large dutch oven on medium heat. Bloom garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Toss in your carrots. Add 1/2 tsp of salt! Toss in your sesame oil.
4. Add the dashi to the dutch oven. Add an extra 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of chicken (or mushroom, or beef) broth– whatever tickles your pickle. Bring to a boil, and quickly drop temperature to medium-low to simmer.
5. Add the white beech mushrooms.
6. Let’s poach our eggs: simmer water in a separate, small pot. DO NOT LET THIS RAPIDLY BOIL. Lay a metal sieve over a mixing bowl. Crack the egg into the sieve. This allows the dehydrated egg-whites (which make for an ugly poached egg) fall through into the bowl. Use a slotted spoon to swirl the simmering pot of water into a vortex. Plop your egg from the sieve into the center of the vortex and let it sit untouched for 2 minutes, or until the whites have set, but the yolk is still jiggly. Remove egg from water and set aside until we plate.
7. Add baby bok choy to the dutch oven. Drop the fresh frozen udon noodles into the dutch oven. Wait 2 minutes, and turn off the flame.
8. Add the soy sauce and rice vinegar to the dutch oven soup.
9. Plate your dish! Top with a poached egg! Slurp!

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