うどん: Japanese Udon

This week, myself and a fellow friend had some delicious Japanese Udon!

So what exactly is Udon? It's actually just the Japanese thick noodles that's made out of wheat flour.

The cuisine itself has the noodles served in a soup broth with toppings. It can be served hot or chilled.

Soup:

• dashi (soy sauce)
• mirin
• seaweed

Toppings:

• scallions
• shallots
• tempura (fried prawn fritter)
• tofu
• fish cake
• 1/2 egg

There are various types of Udon cuisines too as you can see below.

Origins:

There are various stories on the origins of Udon, which most claim to be from China. Here are just a few below:

1. Edo Period -Enni (Rinzai Monk) introduced the flour milling technology to Japan, leading to making Udon in this period
2. Nana Period -Japanese envoy brought back various confections from China's Tang Dynasty
3. Helan Period -Buddhist priest Kukai brought to Japan from studying in China during the 9th Century

If you haven't tried Udon, I highly suggest you do! Don't forget to say 'Itadakimasu!' before you eat!

Sayonara for now! :D

Second image taken from: here
Info taken from: here
Follow on Twitter: @FoodBlog100

Blog post by: Elizabeth Tran.

Tom Yum Goong: Spicy Thai Soup

Tom Yum Goong is a spicy shrimp soup that originates from Central Thailand and is widely served in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.

A blend of fragrant lemongrass, chili, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce is the foundation for the classic soup whilst fresh prawns and straw mushrooms lend it body.

Tom Yum Goong is a delicious journey into traditional Thai cooking as the sour-spicy-hot taste leaves you wanting more.

You can find a full recipe and directions for preparing Tom Yum Goong and the following link:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/30431/tom+yum+soup

Tom Yum Goong Image taken from:

http://www.panix.com/~clay/cookbook/images/tom-yum-goong.jpg