Chicken Udon Soup With Hijiki And Spinach Leaves Recipes

NABEYAKI UDON SOUP WITH CHICKEN, SPINACH, AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place sardines or kombu in a large Dutch oven or donabe, fill with 6 cups water, and set aside at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, cook spinach in a medium pot of boiling salted water until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels. Gently squeeze water from spinach, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2" slices. Transfer to a plate. Return liquid to a boil, add snow peas, and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to plate with spinach. Wipe out pot and reserve.
• Bring sardine liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using slotted spoon, discard sardines, then reduce heat to medium. Add chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, tofu (if using), soy sauce, mirin, and remaining 3/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender, 3-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook udon in reserved pot 2 minutes less than package directions.
• Bring chicken mixture to a simmer. Drain noodles and add immediately to pot. Add spinach, snow peas, scallions, and fish cake (if using), arranging each into sections and leaving an opening for egg.
• Gently beat eggs in a small bowl with a whisk or chopsticks. Pour into broth and cook until just set, about 2 minutes.
• Serve soup immediately in pot tableside, portioning into individual bowls.

CHICKEN-UDON SOUP WITH HIJIKI AND SPINACH LEAVES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cover the hijiki with cold water by 2 inches and let soak until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the water and reserve the hijiki.
• Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Shred the meat with your hands and set aside.
• Cook the noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cold water until cool and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over high heat, whisk together the miso and 8 cups cold water. Bring to a boil and set aside.
• Divide the chicken, noodles, hijiki, spinach and scallions among 4 large bowls. Return the miso to a boil and pour an equal amount into each bowl, using a fork to stir the ingredients around in each bowl. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil into each bowl. Serve immediately.

CHILLED UDON WITH SWEET-AND-SPICY CHICKEN AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Press or squeeze ginger using a fine sieve or cheesecloth until enough juice is extracted to measure 1 tablespoon.
• Heat a well-seasoned large ridged grill pan over high heat until hot. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Mix together soy sauce, mirin, ginger juice, chile paste, and sesame oil. Set aside 1/2 cup of soy mixture and toss remainder with chicken.
• Grill chicken until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. When cool enough to handle, tear into bite-size pieces.
• If using dried noodles, cook in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes. Stir in spinach during last minute of cooking. (If using fresh udon, add noodles and spinach simultaneously to boiling water and cook 10 to 20 seconds total.) Drain noodles and spinach and trans-fer to a bowl of ice and cold water. When cold, drain well in a colander.
• Toss noodles and spinach with reserved soy mixture in a large bowl.
• Serve noodles and spinach topped with chicken.