![]() ![]() I used one cup of water with half a cube of vegetarian bouillon (Maggi brand, which is what I can find here in Bulgaria) and a heaping teaspoon of red miso paste, which I’ve had for ages in my fridge and is well-worth the investment. ![]() This blog is all about making it work within the limitations of your kitchen, pantry, and budget, and capturing the spirit of food from abroad in a way that is easily replicable in your personal kitchen: in this case, this inauthentic yet tasty vegan Japanese udon noodle soup! How to Make Vegan Udon Noodle Soup: Step by Step with Photos If you have your own homemade vegetarian stock or a good store-bought version, or hell, even some Better than Bouillon, your result will be even better than mine! Since I wanted to make this recipe even easier and vegan - plus since I have neither kombu nor bonito flakes on hand - I took some serious liberties with the broth, making it just out of veggie bouillon and miso paste. This broth is typically made kombu (seaweed) and bonito flakes (dried tuna flakes - so not vegan). Generally, a true Japanese udon noodle soup recipe is usually made with dashi, a traditional Japanese broth. However, beyond that, it is not really an at-all authentic Japanese recipe. I’ve even found it in a large local grocery store that has very few Asian options, but I usually stock up at my favorite Asian grocers in the city. This potentially obscure pantry essential is surprisingly easy to get ahold of, even in a country like Bulgaria with limited Asian options. Its “Japanese”-ness comes from three key Japanese ingredients: vacuum-sealed ‘fresh’ udon noodles, miso paste, and nori (dried seaweed sheets). This is simply the result of many hanger-preventing fridge clear-outs. I will readily admit, my vegan udon soup is not at all authentic to Japan, and I don’t even have a base recipe I’ve used to riff on when making this recipe. Fussy? Maybe, but hey - even I have my limits! I’d rather sub out an entirely different noodle, like a soba noodle or even an instant ramen noodle, than dried udon. While I’m generally all about reasonable substitutions, dried udon noodles do absolutely nothing for me. Note that I do not recommend using dried udon noodles, which are oddly flat and not at all springy and tasty like their vacuum-sealed brethren. My Japanese vegan udon noodle soup is something I eat almost once a week, since shelf-stable vacuum-sealed udon noodles are a staple in my expat kitchen. ![]()
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