Why another soup you ask? Because Winter is hanging on and all I want to eat is hot, soul-nourishing soup! Please forgive me. You CAN have exotic, hot, spicy Asian soups quickly for those blustery days, especially if you stock up on a few essential ingredients, like Kimchi.
Kimchi lasts a loooooong time in the fridge, in fact, it ferments for up to 3 years. I have never had a Kimchi jar go bad but if you see mold on top or if it doesn’t smell like Kimchi, throw it out. It’s normal to open a jar of Kimchi you brought home and a bunch of gas escapes and smells kinda like gym socks, sorry but this is normal. It’s a fermented food with lactobacillus and this is a part of the process that both matures and refines the taste of the food and preserves it. Also, check the ‘Sell By Date’. I keep mine well past the sell by date and use the look, smell, taste method to see if it went bad which is OK if you know what Kimchi is suppose to look, smell and taste like. If you have never had Kimchi before I suggest trying it at a Korean restaurant first so you know what to expect. It does smell funky but tastes AMAZING, especially as a condiment to other asian foods, soups and even eggs.
Another staple in the Winter you might want to try is already cooked Udon noodles FROZEN. I gave these a try and they were AMAZING! They were chewy, springy with lots of ‘bite’. Not a wimpy noodle at all. Sooooo easy to grab with chop sticks that I felt my inner Asian coming out. They are now my favorite Asian noodle so feel free to literally give it a whirl!
This soup comes together so fast this may become one of your ‘Regulars’. It’s as simple as finding a really good soup base and keeping these two staples in your stash. You can always make your own soup base and freeze portions to use ‘Everyday’, this is a really good option so you really know what you are eating. The other ingredients are highly interchangeable with what you have in your fridge. If you run out of eggs you can substitute any protein of your choosing. Try leftover lunch meat, chicken, pork, beans, chickpeas etc. The vegetables too. Left over peas, carrots, chard, kale…. very flexible.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have, Bon Appetit Y’all!
Ingredients
- 7 oz frozen Udon noodles, thawed
- 3 cups of soup base (I like 'Better than Bouillon")
- 1 Tbs fish sauce
- 1 cup Kimchi (Usually found in refrigerator section of produce area)
- 2 cups fresh, packed spinach
- 2 eggs, hardboiled, cut in half length wise
- Garnish: Juice from fresh lime and Soy Sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Heat soup base in medium pan and bring to simmer.
- Add Udon noodles, fish sauce, Kimchi and spinach and cook for 5 minutes.
- Ladle out into two bowls, top with eggs and garnish with fresh squeezed lime juice and soy sauce if desired.
