Hello Lovelies!

I hope that this start of the year has been great for you so far! How was mine? One word, two syllabuses and six letters can eaaaasily describe it : it’s been so H. E. C. T. I. C.  

I was literally all over the place, trying to chase the right classes, catch up with my friends, and oh lord the work load – I feel like it’s finals again. My apologies for taking so long to write my first real post but it is here now and I promise you there are lots more coming up soon!

So. Udon Noodle Soup.

Why the recipe? It’s comforting, it’s healthy, it gives you all the veggies you need, all the protein you need, and let’s face it: it’s so damn good. And as a plus: so easy to make! I first made it randomly while seeing a Pinterest post (follow me on Pinterest @amenitoomany!), I gathered all the vegetables that I had in my fridge, chopped them and threw them together in the pan! It was satisfying not just because it was really good, but also because it did not take me that much time.

So my peeps, let’s start cooking, shall we!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

You will need:

• Udon noodles (usually found in the Asian/ Noodles section of the groceries store)
• Meat: chicken or beef or shrimp or no meat – you do you girl!
• 1/2 Carrot
• 1/2 Bell pepper
• (Leave room for the) Mushroom – sorry I needed to make the joke.
• 1/2 Onion
• Garlic (2-3 cloves)
• Basil
• Egg (optional)
• Olive oil

Spices:

• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Chilli paste: I used Harissa (it’s a Tunisian paste) but you can use Siracha (or nothing, if you don’t like spice).
• 1 tsp Red sweet pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1 tsp of Mixed Herbs – you can find this in the spice section
• Salt to taste (not so much though because soy sauce is already salty)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

How to:

Start by chopping your veggies vertically. It’s less work that way and it looks pretty too. College kid tip: cut the veggies before. You can do it when you are cooking the day before for example, or just when you have free time. I promise you, once you start cooking, it will save you so much time!

1. Drizzle some olive oil on the pan, then throw in some onions.
2. Grate the garlic on the pan to fry them as well (I find it more easy than chopping them thinly, so there is a garlic hack right there).
3. Add the meat,  the red pepper, salt, pepper, oyster sauce, stir occasionally, then cover for two minutes to let it cook.
4. Once the meat is 1/3 cooked, add the veggies and stir occasionally.
5. Once you feel that the veggies are almost done (tip: check the state of the mushrooms: if they look soft to you, it’s a good sign). Add a cup of water.
6. Let it bubble for a bit, then add your noodles.
7. Add your chilli paste, soy sauce, cumin.
8. Finish off with a poached egg on the soup. Crack the egg, cover the pan with the lid, and once the egg turns white, you will know that your soup is ready.

Here are pics to give you an idea of how it looks like:

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

And voila! That is the end result!

This soup brings me so much comfort, and I hope it brings you the same!

Enjoy ♡

– Ameni