Sweet & Savory Kitchens

Aunt Suzy says . . .

After a day and a half of snow, what could be better!  This soup has great warming ingredients – the hot peppers of the kimchee and the fresh ginger – along with a wonderful earthiness.  It may be the very definition of Umami, the fifth taste. The original recipe called for making the chicken stock with a whole chicken and then using all the meat from the chicken in the soup.  I pared back on the chicken to one cup cooked which I think allows for a better balance of all the great flavors in this soup.  Indeed, I think that chicken meat is optional given all the other goodies!  A Riesling that’s on the sweet side or an Alsace blend is a perfect match for the flavors in this soup.

• 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock or 8 cups of boxed or canned chicken broth
• 8 ounces udon noodles, broken in half
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup peeled fresh ginger, finely julienned
• One 12-ounce block firm silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup kimchee, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• ½ to 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or in 1/2-inch cubes (optional)

Cook the Udon noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and set aside.  Bring the chicken stock to a boil and simmer uncovered until amount is reduced to 8 cups, about 5-7 minutes.  In a Dutch oven, saute the mushrooms in the oil, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until golden, about 3-4 minutes.   Add the 8 cups of chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen  any browned bits.  Add the ginger, tofu, kimchee, fish sauce and sesame oil.  (Start with 1/2 tsp sesame oil and add more to taste.)  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the cooked udon noodles and simmer another 5 minutes or so.  Add the chicken, if using, and heat to serving temperature.  NOTE: The udon noodles, kimchee, fish sauce and sesame oil can be found at Asian supermarkets, Whole Foods or your local food co-op, if indeed you have local food co-ops.