the aforementioned noodle soup with tofu

noodle soup with tofu
Originally uploaded by pwilnyc.

Lunches can be a pain. Anything that is easy to fix and is not mac & cheese is my friend.

Put about 6 cups water on to boil.
Cut a 3" slab of firm tofu into half-inch cubes and set to dry on paper towels.
When the water is boiling, put in fresh udon noodles, pho, dried buckwheat soba, or ramen if there's nothing else.
When the noodles are mostly done, dump in the tofu.
Dip out about 1/3 cup of boiling water and mix 3T of miso paste into it.
Turn off the flame and as the boiling subsides, dump the miso back in, also about 2T liquid soup base (only soup flavoring I've found that is absent MSG, which makes me and the kids real hyper).

Soup should not boil after miso is added. This advice is from my cousin-in-law Yoko. She once advised me not to eat squid intestines - I now obey her without question.

Adult seasoning:

kimchi (they make their own at Han Ah Reum, aka HMart, where we get all this stuff)


sriracha (that's Bob's sister Mary doing the Vanna thing)

Kid seasoning: Japanese soy sauce, furikake.

And don't get me wrong, there is plenty of mac & cheese in my pantry too.