By: Noah Jozic, SFU Student
A dear friend shared this recipe with me, knowing I was struggling to cook regularly because of mental health challenges. This super easy udon is her go-to when she is low on energy. I could see it was effective right away — when she first made it for me, she had been eating udon all week! Now, whenever I’m brought down by executive dysfunction, depression, or other barriers that keep me from getting in the kitchen, I keep her recipe to heart as a reliable, convenient, and healthy meal option.
A few features make this udon stand out as a low-barrier meal:
- Easy prep, on impulse
This udon can be prepared at a moment’s notice, using long-lasting ingredients. The easiest version, featured below, uses tofu and frozen veggies. It’s a great option if you worry that your produce will only go rotten after a bad week, or if you prefer a consistent meal plan. If you need novelty to feel good about eating, you can always vary each batch with fresh and preserved ingredients: sesame seeds, wakame seaweed, bonito flakes, mushrooms, green onions, leafy greens would all work with this recipe. Greens could be the usual spinach or kale, but my friend has even used nettles foraged from Burnaby Lake!
Many of these ingredients require no chopping, and most only need to be heated through before serving.
- The right soup base
A delicious store-bought soup base makes the difference between this recipe and other quick soups I’ve tried. My friend introduced me to Kikkoman’s Hon Tsuyu soup base, available at T&T, which has a lovely smoky flavour straight out of the bottle. If you can’t find that soup base, feel free to swap it over to either miso paste or a vegan alternative. Do keep in mind that Hon Tsuyu and miso may contain fish.
- Single-servings, and the right pot
Personally, I prefer a single-serving option because it makes the meal fresh every time. A surprising game-changer for me was buying a small saucepan to make this recipe. Before, the thought of using and washing a big pot was daunting enough to keep me from cooking. My gadget of choice is a Zwilling one-litre pot from HomeSense. It has a nice, heavy base, and the brand is a personal favourite, so I’m always happy to bring it out. However, as I say this, feel free to choose any cookware that will feel good to you!
RECIPE
4 tablespoons Hon Tsuyu soup base (or an alternative, like miso)
500 ml water
1 packet udon noodles
Tofu, to taste
Frozen vegetables, to taste (eg. cauliflower, broccoli, carrot blend)
1. Add the soup base and water to a small pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add noodles to the pot.
3. Slice or cube tofu. Next, stir the soup gently to untangle the noodles, then add tofu and vegetables.
4. Simmer for around five minutes until all ingredients are hot. Make sure the noodles have cooked for at least as long as the package indicates.
5. Enjoy!
