Quick Lunch: Soba with soft poached egg in miso soup

I am trying to eat healthy this week since I have been baking lots of rich (fat) cakes and treats for me and my kids for the past few weeks. The noodle addict in me reached out for the packet of soba noodles.

Usually I would make the cold soba since it's simple and delicious, but since I am suffering from a cold, I made a hot soup version instead.

Hot soba with soft poached egg in miso soup

This is equally as quick and delicious as the cold soba. I managed to whip up this bowl of hot soba in under 10 minutes. I first cooked the soba noodles in the miso soup for about 6 minutes and in the meantime, I chopped the scallions and cut the tofu into cubes. Since I was too lazy wanted to cook the egg quickly, I poached it in the miso soup using the Delia Smith method (ie lower the fresh eggs gently into the simmering soup) and it turned out perfect too. I like to add some wakame and nori seaweed to my bowl of noodles too - wakame is said to be good for the skin :P.

Soba with soft poached egg in miso soup
Preparation time: 2-3 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients
50g soba (I used dried Shinshu soba noodles)
1 tbsp miso paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 spring onion, finely chopped (green parts only)
A small piece tofu, cubed
5g wakame (optional)
1 fresh egg, at room temperature
1 sheet nori seaweed, cut into thin strips
Sesame seeds, for garnish

1. In a small pot over high heat, bring the water to boil and then add the miso paste. Add the soba noodles and cook according to packet instructions (mine took about 6 minutes to cook).

2. Remove the cooked soba and place in bowl.

3. Cook the poached egg using the same miso soup. Break the egg into a small bowl / ramekin. Try to use fresh eggs, at room temperature. Lower to medium low heat (barely simmering) and then lower the eggs into the soup. While they are cooking, you can help the tops cook by basting with some of the hot soup. It should take about 2-3 minutes to cook. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of soba noodles.

4. At the same time as cooking the poached egg, you can add the tofu cubes and wakame to the other side of the pot and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour the soup and tofu around the egg, on top of the noodles. Garnish with spring onion, nori, and sesame seeds.  Enjoy!

*This recipe was featured on DailyBuzz- Healthy Living's Top 9: Fill Up on Tofu on 2 November 2012.