For a quick and healthy lunch, I made miso soup with udon noodles. For added texture and deliciousness, I fried the tofu first. I got the idea from those little packets of instant miso with tiny dehydrated pieces of fried tofu. Yum!

Miso Udon with Fried Tofu, Spinach, and Eggs
(serves 2)

6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
Handful of dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
4 cups of spinach
2 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 container of firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
vegetable oil
1 small package udon noodles
2 T white miso paste
2 scallions, finely chopped

First, fry the tofu:
Lay the tofu on a plate or cutting board, over three paper towels. Place three more paper towels over the tofu slices, and press to remove the excess water. Repeat with additional paper towels if necessary.

Once the tofu is dry, heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the tofu and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side. Remove from the pan, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Now, make the soup:
Heat the chicken broth over high heat. When the water is simmering, add the mushrooms (including the water they’ve been soaking in), spinach, and udon noodles. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, then stir in the miso paste.

To serve, put a few pieces of tofu and the hard-boiled eggs into soup bowls. Ladle the soup and noodles into the bowls. Garnish with scallions.