Japanese Beef Udon Soup

I don't get too experimental with meals very often, and unless I have any specific challenges to complete for this blog, I often rotate the same, or similar, meals on a weekly basis.

I was quite excited at the prospect of trying out some Japanese cooking when I received a parcel of ingredients from Japan Centre, as other than Miso soup and Udon noodles (which I used when I made healthy pot noodles), I've not eaten Japanese food, as far as I can remember. 

In the package I received the following :

• a bottle of Sake from Gekkeikan, house of the world's finest sake
• a selection of teas from Uji-no-tsuyu 
• Japanese spices from Shichimiya

After a spot of research, I decided that an Udon soup was the way to go, beefed up with slices of fillet steak spiced with Shichimi, a Japanese spice made from a blend of seven ingredients.

After making this amazing dish in under 15 minutes, I'm wondering why I don't make dishes like this more often, as it's the ultimate healthy fast food, and perfect for a lunch on a busy day.

Japanese Beef Udon Soup - serves 2

marinade

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Sake

1/2 tsp Shichimi 

170g fillet steak

tbsp sesame oil

600ml water

1 dashi bag

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp Sake

75g button chestnut mushrooms, sliced

175g dried Udon noodles

bunch of spring onions, sliced

• make the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, sake & Shichimi together in a bowl
• add the fillet steak and toss to coat in the marinade
• refrigerate for a few hours or overnight
• heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over a high heat
• add the steak and fry for a couple minutes on each side
• set aside to rest whilst preparing the udon soup
• bring the water to the boil in a saucepan
• add the dashi bag and simmer for 2-3 minutes
• remove the dashi bag from the pan
• add the soy sauce, sake, mushrooms, noodles and 3/4 of the spring onions
• simmer for 3-4 minutes until the noodles are cooked through
• slice the steak
• divide the soup into two portions and top with the steak and remaining spring onions

left to right : dashi bags, matcha tea, sake, arare, tea selection, shichimi pepper, sansho pepper

For the chance to win a 4 night trip to Japan, with 11 runner up prizes, make sure you pop over to the Visit Japan Facebook page here.

this recipe was commissioned for Visit Japan

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Next week is British Egg Week (5-11 October), and to mark the occasion I've recreated a classic egg dish, with a twist. Scrambled egg is one of the first things I learnt to cook growing up, and as this was before we had a microwave, it was cooked in a saucepan on the hob. Cooking scrambled eggs on the hob is still my preferred way of cooking it, but as this is also the husband's 'speciality' it's usually cooked in a jug, in the microwave, with little stirring (he says the kids prefer it that way!)

I've jazzed my eggs up with a little Italian touch and served them on a toasted ciabatta roll, instead of the usual sliced white. This recipe can serve 1-2, depending on how hungry you're feeling.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast - serves 1

olive oil

4 cherry tomatoes

small knob of butter
3 medium free range eggs

salt & pepper

splash of milk

fresh basil

ciabatta roll, lightly toasted

parmesan

• heat the olive oil in a small saucepan
• add the tomatoes and cook for a few of minutes over a med/high heat until they soften
• remove the tomatoes from the pan & set aside
• add a little butter to the pan and heat until melted
• beat the eggs, salt & pepper & torn basil leaves together
• add to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring & scraping the bottom of the pan (I like to use a wooden spatula for this), until the eggs are cooked
• serve with the tomatoes on the ciabatta roll & top with freshly grated parmesan

 

To keep up to date with new recipes next week, follow #BritishEggWeek on twitter.

This recipe has been created for a #shortcuteggsperts challenge. I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients. More egg recipes can be found here.