Name: Nabeyaki Udon Soup With Chicken, Spinach, and Mushrooms
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup dried sardines (about 1 ounce), or 1 (5") piece dried kombu; 5 ounces mature spinach (about 3/4 bunch), trimmed; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more; 1/2 cup snow peas; 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 ounces), cut into 1" pieces; 7 ounces thinly sliced shiitake, shimeji, or enoki mushrooms, roots trimmed; 2 (1/2-ounce) pieces fried tofu (aburaage), cut into 1/4" slices (optional); 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon mirin; 8 ounces udon noodles; 1/2 cup sliced scallions; 1 1/2 ounces Japanese fish cake, thinly sliced (optional); 2 large eggs

A twohandled clay pot filled with udon chicken spinach mushrooms tofu and egg.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks

Although this soup is often served in American restaurants topped with fancy ingredients such as shrimp tempura, in Japan it is a simple weeknight dinner that comes together quickly and usually features a few classic ingredients. I used to make this version, fortified with dried sardines for additional flavor and nutrients, for my children when they were sick. If you are preparing the soup using a traditional Japanese donabe (ceramic pot), keep in mind that the udon noodles will continue to cook even after the pot is removed from the heat, so do not overcook the noodles when boiling them the first time.

Cooks' Note

Fried tofu (aburaage) and Japanese fish cake are available at Asian markets and some specialty grocery stores.