Ginger Soba Soup

16 Mar 2011 5 Comments

by katycrayon in Bento-related stories

Spring is coming at last to the northern midwest, and spring means rain. Lots of it. Yesterday was a cool, damp, rainy day and was perfect for soup. I’m proud to say that I made up this Japanese-inspired soup entirely on the fly, using ingredients that I keep on hand. It was delicious! It earned a thumbs-up from my husband and it will be a recipe that I keep handy. Here is the recipe, in case you’d like to try!

Ginger Soba Soup with Chicken and Egg

For the chicken:
Cut a chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Marinate in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin or sherry, 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 15 minutes up to overnight.

For the Soup:
Ingredients-
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce (diluted with 1/2 cup water)
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 package soba (buckwheat) noodles; package should contain three noodle bundles
2 eggs, lighlty beaten
A slash of mirin or sherry, to taste

Directions-
Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in the bottom of a soup pot or dutch oven. Add the chicken, stirring occassionally (the cornstarch marinade will form a nice golden crust, so don’t stir too much). Once the chicken mostly cooked, add the green onions (save some of the green tops for garnish!), ginger, and garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Add the chicken broth and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Add the mirin/sherry and soba noodles and boil for 4-5 minutes or until noodles are tender. Pour the beaten eggs into the soup and let them cook (do not stir) for 1 minute. Once the eggs are set, break them up with a spoon or chopstick. Ladel into bowls and garnish with green onions, carrots, shredded nori, bonito, or anything else that sounds good to you!

DISASTER IN JAPAN:
I am sure all of you have heard about the earthquake and tsunamis that devestated Japan. In the days that have followed, Japan has experienced nuclear emergency, food and water shortages, and a catastrophic death toll. I urge you all to keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers. You may donate to the relief by visiting the Red Cross online or by texting REDCROSS to 90999 (this will donate $10.) You can also check this out. Naomi of ImmortalGeisha (www.immortalgeisha.com) is auctioning off kimono ensembles from her personal collection, with 100% of the proceeds going to the relief effort in Japan. Follow the auctions here:

http://shop.ebay.com/immortalgeisha/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

In the meantime, love and prayers to Japan.

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