This is a surprisingly simple and delicious soup.  Don’t be fooled by the long-ish list of ingredients – everything is done in one pot, making the preparation and cooking process easy.  Adapted from The Japanese Kitchen and Japanese Food and Cooking.

Ingredients

• 8 oz deboned chicken thighs
• 3 T mirin
• 4 c dashi stock (this can be bought in powdered form)
• 6 shiitake mushrooms (if dried, soak in warm water until softened and reserve water for cooking)
• 4 spring onions, chopped finely
• 2 T miso
• 1 T soy sauce
• 400 g fresh udon
• 2 eggs (or more)

Instructions

1. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and marinate in 1 T mirin for 15 minutes.
2. Heat dashi stock in a medium pot over medium heat – when it has come to boil, add chicken and shiitake mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Combine 2 T mirin, soy sauce, and miso in a small bowl until it makes a paste – then stir into dashi mixture until dissolved.
4. Place udon noodles in pot and cook for 2 minutes (or according to package instructions).
5. Just before serving, break and egg on top, cover, and cook for 1 minute, until egg is poached.
6. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.