Prawn Udon Noodle Soup Inspired By Deliciously Stella

Now if you've listened to Bella Younger's episode she stayed true to her Deliciously Stella persona and tried very hard to have a smoked ham sandwich for every answer. I think she horrified people by deciding that the Marks and Spencer snack aisle was the best food she's ever eaten, although of course M&S are delighted. I did like the idea of her Desert Island Dish choice for the the dish you tend to eat the most often. A hot bowl of homemade broth with noodles.

I tried to call this ramen, but my fianceé, being half Japanese, would not hear of it and since we only just got engaged I don't want to risk upsetting him. So I decided to call this very simply, "prawn udon noodle soup". It's a kind of does what it says on the tin sort of name. I like very much that the ingredients for the broth are all things one does tend to have in the cupboard. And I do think it's always wise to have a variety of noodles, pastas and pulses in the cupboard too as they always come in handy.

You could keep this completely vegetable based or like me you could add prawns. Chicken also works wonderfully as does the rather more decadent pork belly. I do love serving soft boiled eggs on the top and eating the whole thing with chopsticks. I guess if I am marrying into the Japanese heritage that's a good thing I am already practising?

The focus of this recipe is really on the broth itself. It's a sort of challenge. How much flavour can you pack into a simple broth? The answer is a lot. And the result is hearty, light and very satisfying.