Udon Noodle Bowl with Miso Cashew Dressing
Whether Italian pasta, Asian noodles or Swabian spaetzle – noodles are among my favourites in fast everyday cuisine. Moreover, noodles are absolute comfort food, aren’t they? Today we are talking about Udon noodles, the thickest noodles in Japanese cuisine. I love their thick shape! Udon noodles are made of wheat flour and you can buy them in two varieties: dried or fresh. You can find them in most Asian grocery shops, but also some supermarkets and organic food stores offer at least dried Udon noodles. Advantage of the dried Udon noodles: they can be stored forever. But the fresh Udon noodles taste better and they are also a bit thicker. You can also freeze fresh Udon noodles if you don’t use them immediately.
Noodles + Veggies + Sauce
Most pasta recipes work according to this principle. So does this Udon Noodle Bowl. Of course you can use other veggies instead of chard and mushrooms, for example broccoli, leek or spinach. Important is the dressing. It should be spicy and creamy. Miso goes wonderfully well with the Asian Udon noodles, and it’s also so healthy. Here I have already written about the advantages of miso.
Udon Noodle Bowl with Miso Cashew Dressing
For 2 portions
- 200 g chards
- 100 g mushrooms
- 180 g dry Udon noodles (or around 400 g precooked fresh)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 spring onion
- ½ bunch of coriander
- 1 tbsp nigella or black sesame seeds
For the dressing:
- 2 tbsp light miso paste
- ½ -1 tbsp chilli paste
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 50 g cashew butter (or almond butter)
- 1 tbsp mild vegetable oil (e.g. from cashew butter)
Wash and spin-dry the chards, cut the stems into pieces, chard leaves into finger-wide strips. Clean mushrooms, cut into thick slices. Fry the chard stems in 1 tbsp. oil in a large covered pan for about 7 minutes. Then add the leaves, salt everything lightly and fry for another 3 minutes. Fry the mushrooms in a second pan, also with 1 tablespoon of oil, for about 5 minutes, deglaze with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
Cook the Udon noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a blender or with a hand mixer until creamy.
Cut spring onion into fine rings, wash coriander, shake dry and chop roughly. Drain the noodles and mix them dripping wet with the dressing. Spread them over two bowls and arrange the vegetables on top. Serve the bowls sprinkled with spring onions, coriander and nigella.