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3. Mushroom udon bowls
Use two portions of udon and prepare them according to the package. Meanwhile, simmer about 3 cups of suitable broth with 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms until the mushrooms are tender. Choose a broth you enjoy; mushroom broth is a practical vegetarian adaptation.
Season the broth with a little soy sauce and taste before adding more. Divide the cooked noodles between bowls and ladle the hot broth and mushrooms over them. Add sliced scallion or tender greens that have been cooked in the broth.
Noodles sold fresh, frozen and dried need different handling, so don’t assume every packet can go straight into the soup. For a larger meal, add tofu that has been heated according to its package directions. Keep toppings ready before draining the noodles so the bowls can be served while hot.
4. A miso-soup meal with rice and tofu
Start with the liquid quantity and miso amount suggested by your miso product. Warm a suitable broth with thinly sliced mushrooms or small pieces of vegetable. When those are cooked, stir miso into a ladleful of warm broth, then return that mixture to the pot.
Add cubed tofu and heat it as the package directs. Serve the soup with a separate bowl of rice and a vegetable side. Miso soup alone may be a smaller meal than you want, so think about the whole tray rather than asking one bowl to do everything.
Miso and broth vary widely in saltiness and ingredients. Some dashi products contain fish, so a vegetarian label on the miso does not settle the broth question. Taste before adding other seasonings. This is a flexible meal arrangement, not a promise that every bowl follows one household’s method.
