Homemade Grilled Chicken Udon Soup

Soup recipe:

1 sachet dashi powder
800ml water
1 tbsp cooking sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp tsuyu liquid stock – if no tsuyu available, use 1/2 tbsp of additional soy sauce (tsuyu is basically a mix of everything already in the soup, but somehow makes it tastier lol)
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp shoyu (soy sauce)
1 block of frozen udon – about 250g or 8.85oz
Your choice of protein
Your choice of vegies

Method:

1. Pour water and dashi powder sachet into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Lower to medium-high heat and add the rest of the ingredients! Cook for 15min.
3. Taste the soup base at this point for seasoning. If a little too salty, add some more water, tablespoon by tablespoon, and taste as you go. Remember that some of the saltiness will be cut through with the udon noodles!
4. Place vegies in a covered steamer pot/basket over the soup. I used carrot, baby corn and broccoli because I can put them all in at once.
5. Return the soup to a boil.
6. Add frozen udon noodles to soup and cook for about 5-10min until loosened.
7. Cook some chicken, beef, salmon, prawns etc in a separate pan and slice up.
8. In a nice, deep bowl, add the soup and noodles (sometimes this is easier by putting some of the noodles in first, then pouring the remaining in the pot) and assemble sliced cooked meat and veg on top.

Enjoy! Serves 2 regular people or 1 very hungry person!

Alterations:

• For more tender veg with less "bite", put the veg in the steamer basket on about 10min into the Med-High cooking time. Adjust timing to your preferred doneness.
• Play around with vegetable toppings, just remember to add in softer veg like cabbage or bok choy just a couple of minutes before serving so they don't go mushy. Corn is really yummy!
• You can make this vegetarian by using a vegan dashi powder, but omit the tsuyu and use 1/2 tbsp additional soy sauce and 1/8 tsp additional cooking sake.