This deliciously fragrant recipe for miso udon noodle soup has a real umami kick to it. It's packed with flavour, veggies, tofu and is suitable for vegans. Hearty and filling due to the thick wheat-based udon noodles.
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There's nothing sneaky about the vegetables in this miso udon noodle soup.
The vegetables are the star of the show in this tasty soup.
I love that our picky eating journey has come along so much over the years that I can now serve up a veggie-packed noodle soup. And the whole family loves it!
This soup is:
- deeply savoury - with a real umami kick
- spicy - although the chilli can be left out for children if you prefer
- full of veggies
- filling - the wheat-based udon noodles won't leave you hungry.
I'm always trying new dishes with my little picky eaters
I am always up for the challenge of trying to feed my little picky eaters something new even if I often feel nervous before I serve it up and I can never predict what the result is going to be. While I was making this miso udon noodle soup - which my kids had never had before - I started to wonder about what Japanese children eat.
What do Japanese children eat?
A friend of mine has a Japanese friend. Her name is Hisako. She is an awesome illustrator and designer so take a look at her site to be wowed. I got in touch with her to ask her what Japanese kids like to eat, and what they are fed as babies.
I wondered if Japanese people have special baby food - an equivalent to our purées - or whether they practice something more similar to baby led weaning.
Japanese babies are often weaned on rice broth
I would have guessed the latter, but I was wrong. It turns out that most Japanese babies are weaned on rice broth. It's nothing like the baby rice that we get over here from a packet. This broth is made with extra water so that each grain breaks down during the cooking process making it easier to digest.
It's then common for them to move onto puréed food. As they get older the food gets lumpier and more flavours are used until eventually the whole family eats the same meal - perhaps with less strong flavours and salt.
Well, isn't that what we all want - to cook one meal for our family? I'm sure I'm not alone though in achieving this very rarely.
What else do Japanese kids love?
So what else did Hisako say? I asked her what food Japanese kids love. What's their equivalent to fish fingers, chips and ice cream? Her answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, was rice.
Hisako's favourite foods as a child were Japanese curry, ramen noodles, soba noodles and nattou with rice (fermented soya beans). Her toddler loves most of these things too - and miso soup - but hasn't come around to the fermented soya beans yet. I'm sure he will in time.
And of course bento lunch boxes
She went on to tell me about the amazing lunch boxes that Japanese kids have. Most Japanese mums try their hardest to get a balanced meal into a portable bento box. This might include something like rice balls, egg rolls, fish/meat items and green veg.
I honestly don't know what R would do if I sent him to school with a lunch box like that! Maybe I should try it...
Bento boxes* are like lunchboxes but with little compartments, making them easy to fill with different foods. For inspiration, and lots of non-Japanese ideas for filling a bento box check out Eats Amazing.
Do you need any special equipment to make miso udon soup?
You don't need anything unusual to make this vegan udon noodle soup. You should have most of the following in your kitchen anyway:
- chopping board*
- sharp knife*
- saucepan with a lid*
- roasting tin (for the tofu)*
How to make miso udon noodle soup your own
I picked the vegetables based on what my kids like. Carrots and green beans are usually considered acceptable. Also R really likes tofu (another surprise from Mr Picky), which is why I've included it here.
I've also added pak choi because it goes so perfectly and this was a good opportunity to introduce my kids to something new.
You can adapt this udon soup recipe and use whatever veg you and your family prefer. Mange tout, baby corn, peppers for example are all delicious.
More recipes
If you like this you might like:
How to make vegan miso udon soup
If you have made this recipe I would love it if you’d leave a comment and rating below. Thank you!
Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Miso udon noodle soup
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 400 g tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
For the miso soup
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- thumb-sized piece ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 red chilli deseeded and chopped, optional
- 2 teaspoons miso paste
- 1.5 litre vegetable stock
- 2 carrots thinly sliced
- handful green beans topped and tailed and chopped in half
- 1 pak choi
- 300 g udon noodles pre-cooked
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- 4 spring onions (scallions) chopped
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
For the tofu
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan)/220°C/gas mark 7. Drain the tofu and squeeze out as much water as possible, soaking it up with kitchen towel. You can use a tofu press for this or press it down with a heavy plate. Slice into 2 inch pieces.
- Place in a roasting dish and cover with 2 tablespoons sesame oil and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Stir well. Ideally leave this to marinate for at least 30 minutes but if you don't have time then stick it straight in the oven.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway until crispy on the outside.
For the soup
- Heat 1 tablespoon sunflower oil in a large saucepan with a lid.
- Add 1 sliced onion and sauté until soft.
- Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, a chopped thumb-sized piece ginger and 1 chopped red chilli (if using). Stir and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add 2 teaspoons miso paste and a dash of stock and stir until the paste has broken down.
- Add the rest of the vegetable stock and bring to the boil before adding the carrots and green beans. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the pak choi leaves and cooked udon noodles and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper
To serve
- Serve with the roasted tofu, chopped spring onions and black sesame seeds.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
- I would recommend that you chop all the vegetables and get your stock ready before starting to cook the soup.
- If you want to use dried udon noodles cook them in a separate pan ( this helps remove the starch) before adding to the soup.
Nutrition
Pin miso udon noodle soup for later
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Le
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It looks amazing. I've been wanting to try miso with my little one as my partner and I both love miso (and Japanese food in general) but I was a bit concerned about the saltiness -- your recipe doesn't use much though and looks like it would be a great way to introduce her to miso flavours. I'll definitely try this soon!
Mandy Mazliah
Hope you like it!
Martin @ The Why Chef
Miso soup is soup-er (ha!) healthy, so I'm going to cook this up for me and my wife on our current health kick!
Mandy Mazliah
Ha!! It's quick and easy too - enjoy!
Lucy - BakingQueen74
Oh this looks gorgeous, I would love to try it. Udon noodles are my favourite! #cookblogshare
Mandy Mazliah
Me too! Thanks Lucy x
Corina
I will have to give this a go. My daughter is incredibly picky and doesn't like any food to be mixed together or have a sauce on it but yesterday she actually picked some beef out of a tomatoey stew and ate it. Normally the meat has to be cooked separately or she won't eat it. I'm feeling so encouraged I want to try loads of new things now while she seems to be in an adventurous mood. Incidentally we use the Yumboxes (which I think Eats Amazing also uses) which are a bit like bento boxes as I can put different individual foods in the separate compartments and it works really well.
Mandy Mazliah
I'm really keen to get a few yum boxes but the price tag is putting me off - buying three of them will cost a fair bit! Might be worth it though... R used to be awful at eating anything with sauce on it too so I feel your pain! Xxx
lisa
This looks epic, I'm always so boring with noodles and just make stirfry's. I do love miso though so will have to give this a go! Thanks
Mandy Mazliah
It's such an easy recipe! Hope you enjoy it x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
This soup sounds delicious and one I think my lot would love! I have recently been amazed by how my sometimes fussy boys will happily eat spinach and other green veg! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Mandy Mazliah
Such a relief when they start to eat new things isn't it!
Helen @ family-friends-food.com
This sounds yummy! Although my daughter (who is really not a very picky eater) is not a big fan of soup :-(I'll just make it for myself for lunch one day instead!
Mandy Mazliah
My kids love tomato soup but they have to be persuaded to try other types!
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
This sounds delicious, Mandy! I love this kind of food but until recently I'd never cooked with miso. I recently bought a jar and I was amazed! So good! I am a total convert. My kids loved it too...thanks for sharing all that info about Japanese kids - fascinating stuff! I wonder what goes on in other countries...and which are the best countries for getting their kids to eat what is put in front of them...and how they actually achieve it...someone should write a book about that - it would be a bestseller!! My kids are actually quite good with most food but I must confess there are one or two foods I'm a bit scared to try on them...and tofu is one of them - I love tofu but they've never tried it...really should give it a go, shouldn't I? Eb x
Mandy Mazliah
Oh you definitely should! You never know what they'll like. My eldest loves tofu which surprised me because he hates Quorn. Let me know what they think if you do try it xxxx
Mandy Mazliah
Ps yes! I might write that book! I saw a book called something like Why French kids eat everything once.
Le
I often make a Japanese-inspired scrambled tofu for my 12-month-old and serve it up with organic ramen noodles. She loves it! My version: stir fry diced shallots/ spring onion and minced garlic in olive oil, add grated zucchini and cook for a few minutes, add tofu (slightly firm variety works best I find) and break apart into small chunks, then finish off with a little sesame oil. The organic ramen noodles are cooked separately, then mixed in with the scrambled tofu. All done in about 10 min! You can add other veggies too, like grated carrot and mushrooms (although prep and cooking time will be slightly longer) or sauces like soy (if sodium isn't a concern). If I'm making a large batch for leftovers, I also find it easier to store the scrambled tofu and noodles separately as the noodles I use are best reheated in warm water then strained (but this will depend on the noodles you use). More authentic Japanese versions (iri dofu, usually served with rice) generally include other ingredients like sake and mirin, which I might try when my little one is a bit older!
Mandy Mazliah
That sounds really lovely!