Spicy Udon Soup with Soy Milk

Paying tribute to Japan with a terrific Udon soup.

Udon Noodles in an Aromatic Spicy Soy Milk Broth
Ground Pork, Baby Spinach
Chopped Cashew Garnish

The Japanese chili paste, garlic, toasted sesame oil, ground sesame seed,
white miso and soy milk combine to make an extraordinarily flavorful spicy broth.
Ground pork, spinach, and chewy udon noodles
combine with the broth to make a hearty satisfying soup.

 Spicy Udon Soup with Soy Milk Recipe

Brown approx. 6 oz. ground pork in a bit of sesame oil.
Drain any fat from the browned pork.
Heat a small amount of sesame oil in a medium soup pot.
Add the browned pork and  1 T. chopped garlic. Sauté briefly.
Add the following to the pork, sauté and mix until incorporated:
1 T. tobanjan – Japanese chili paste
3 T. white surigoma – ground sesame seed
2 T. white miso

Add 1 c. chicken broth and 1 c. unsweetened soy milk to the pork mixture.
Bring to a boil then immediately turn down the heat.
Add sea salt to taste.
Add a bunch of baby spinach to the soup and simmer while
cooking udon noodles according to package instructions.

Place drained udon in a bowl.
Ladle the hot soup over the noodles.

Garnish with chopped cashews.

Remembering Japan – One Year Later

March 11th marked the one-year anniversary of the
Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.
They are still hard at work putting their communities and their country back together again.

The cherry blossoms are symbols of hope and renewal.
This Spring, as they begin to bloom again in Japan one year after the devastation,
we stand with the Japanese people in hope for renewal and recovery.

This Kwanzan Flowering Cherry was photographed here in Los Angeles on March 11, 2012.