Wholesome and Delicious
As we have discovered I love soup. Apart from the thriftiness, I love that you can squeeze in loads of healthy vegetables and simmer and bubble in the most amazing flavours.
Now before this turns into ‘What Jenny Loves’, another thing I love is Miso… Goddamn Miso. Made from fermented soy beans there are varying strengths and colours you can buy. They start at the milder white/yellow miso to the darker black and red. The more fermented the darker the colour, therefore the stronger the flavour.
Think of all the delicious Japanese restaurant dishes.. Miso Soup of course, but Miso Eggplant? And that mysterious miso dressing on sesame salads (what is IN that!). See? It’s an amazingly versatile ingredient.
The realisation dawned that I live very close to the most mystical and amazing Japanese supermarket and I went miso exploring. After realising I actually do not know one single word of Japanese, I asked the lovely lady to help me choose a Miso. I went with a white; she said it was better for a milder yet earthier soup.
Armed with the intriguing box of miso, I went forth to make my own Japanese delight, in the form of a Miso Soup with Grilled Wasabi Salmon and Udon.
This is the easiest, most warming and wholesome meal. It is so quick to make and after totally impressing my flatmates by cooking it for them, now even they, who are self confessed ‘eat to live-ers’ have started to cook it!
The extra little zing of flavour on the salmon breast adds another dimension of flavour and is delicious. I have also done this with chicken breast marinated in soy, and my vegetarian flat mate adds mushrooms and no meat. But it would work well with tofu, and other vegetables you love.
Even though this recipe is for two I always make this for myself, just divide the quantities!
Grilled Wasabi Salmon with Miso and Udon Soup
750m (3cups) water
1 tbs chicken stock powder
50g white miso paste
1 x 200g pkts shelf-fresh udon noodles
2 shallots, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces
1 bunch baby choy sum, trimmed, cut into 5cm pieces
Olive oil spray
1 or 2 (about 210g each) salmon fillets, skin removed
1 tbspoon soy sauce
1 teasponn wasabi paste
Soy sauce, to serve
Shallot, extra, thinly sliced, to serve
Place water and stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the miso paste. Stir to dissolve and keep at a light simmer. Add the udon noodles and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped shallot and boy choy and cook for 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in a shallow dish combine soy sauce and wasabi paste. Stir to make a paste. Place salmon skin side down into the paste.
Heat a large frying pan, add oil and place salmon skin side down to crisp skin. Grill skin of salmon for around 3 minutes then turn and cook for 2. Either serve as a whole fillet or flake into chucks and place in soup.
Dish out soup into large bowls, and top with the salmon. Add a drizzle more soy and serve!
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