Super-fast Udon in a Simple Broth

I worked from home today, which meant I got to make myself a hot lunch that wasn’t leftovers heated up in the microwave at the office. I didn’t want to be away from my work for too long, though, so what I ended up making took little more time than heating up leftovers would have.

Super-Fast Udon in a Simple Broth

For one serving:

1 bundle of udon
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp vegan “beef” broth concentrate
4 oz tomato sauce (1/2 a small can)
1 clove garlic, pressed (or to make it even faster and easier, 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp ginger, grated (or 1/4 tsp ginger powder)

Prepare the udon according to package directions (ie, boil in plenty of water until just al dente).

While the udon is cooking, bring remaining ingredients to a boil, then simmer until noodles are ready.

Place the noodles into a bowl, then pour the broth over them. Enjoy!

A brief story about my udon bowl: my paternal grandmother had these small bowls with colorful flowers imprinted on the interior bottom of them and she’d always make Jello in them when I was over there. I was for some reason fascinated with them and always very excited about tearing through the Jello to get to the flowers. Many years later, a friend of mine had a gift certificate for one of those pottery places where you can go paint something and pick it up a few days later after they’ve fired it, and she asked me to go with her. I chose to make an udon bowl as I’d always wanted one, and when deciding how to paint it, I decided I wanted to paint flowers inside it like my grandmother’s Jello bowls. It turns out, however, that I have no artistic abilities whatsoever, so I painted something more star-like than flower-like:

But every time I slurp through my noodles, I think of my grandmother’s bowls and all the wonderful things she used to cook. (I realize making Jello isn’t actually “cooking”, but she cooked a lot of other stuff.)

The problem, of course, is that this all transpired before I met Mark, so now he always complains that I get the “cool” bowl when I make noodles. Guess I need to buy (or make) another udon bowl!

5 Comments »

  1. Cecilia Said,

    July 12, 2008 @ 10:26 pm

    Wow, you actually MADE that udon bowl?!!! My oh my, you are one TALENTED girl!! Looove that bowl to bits – the color, the flowers(or stars..),the groovy chopstick rester …. EVERYTHING!! Hahaha, sounds like you need to make another udon bowl for him!! – maybe a PINK one … LOL

  2. renae Said,

    July 12, 2008 @ 10:48 pm

    Well, I didn’t exactly make the bowl in the sense that I took a lump of clay and threw it on a potter’s wheel or anything. I’m sure it would have looked…interesting…if I had. I just painted it! But thank you!

  3. renae Said,

    July 13, 2008 @ 12:54 am

    I had no idea you made that bowl..

    Did you make all of our dishes? My wooden-spoon-making empire is humbled by your bowl making skills.

  4. renae Said,

    July 13, 2008 @ 12:55 am

    That last comment was Mark on Renae’s computer.

  5. Sarah Said,

    July 13, 2008 @ 6:18 am

    I definitely have an udon bowl very similar to that. I painted mine at a pottery place up in the mountains in California. It was amazing as we went there the year before and had our mugs that we made shipped, and mine fucking cracked, even though they ASSURED us itd be fine. So I got to make my udon bowl for free, and got to use the most expensive paints. Yours is reallly pretty.

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