The fickle bay area weather has me simultaneously craving frozen strawberry popsicles and warm brothy soup. To celebrate Mother Nature’s springtime indecisiveness, we slurped down comforting noodle soup for dinner with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. The inspiration for this broth bowl came from my determination to use the tub of white miso paste I picked up last month before it goes bad. No single dish calls for enough miso paste though – I’ll have to make miso soup for the next few months in this waste-free effort!

Miso soup alone wouldn’t be enough to fill Lucas’s newly amplified marathon-runner appetite unless I packed it with vegetables and hearty beef. And thanks to my friend Sandy’s advice, I finally tracked down an Asian market that sells thinly sliced beef. The kind that’s so thin that it browns the instant it hits the bowl of bubbly broth. The kind so thin that only a machine could slice. The kind that’s perfect for soup. Now that I’ve got a source, I no longer have to sweet talk the butcher into trying his very hardest to get the sirloin paper thin, nor do I have to pay sky-high prices to satisfy Shabu Shabu cravings.

A spoonful of this hot soup soothes the soul on a chilly night. Comforting enough that Lucas ate it for lunch and dinner the next day without complaint. To be honest, though, we wanted more flavor. A few splashes of togarashi provided a quick fix, but I’ll make a few more changes next time. Yes, there will be a next time. Consider this a first iteration of a recipe that will be tweaked and improved. In later versions, I’ll serve it more like Shabu Shabu with a ponzu dipping sauce and perhaps a bowl of white rice. If I’m feeling adventurous I might even add a sprinkle of dried bonito flakes or a sheet of kombu to give the broth a flavor more akin to traditional miso soup. Despite its imperfections, I’m sharing this first attempt because I want you to know that not all my experiments churn out a winning dish (and the same goes for the pictures). I just tend to share the dishes that I love the most. In fact, I make quite a few flops that disappear into the abyss, but that’s part of learning I suppose. This comforting beef udon miso soup has great potential, just needs a bit more love.

Beef udon miso soup (Adapted from The Family Kitchen)

Serves 4

2 cups water

6 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt (we liked it salty, but if you don’t like things salty, try starting with just ¼ teaspoon and adding more to taste)

2 cups shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

4-5 cups baby bok choy, leaves ripped a part

4 tablespoons white miso paste

½ lb shabu shabu beef

5 scallions, diced

½ teaspoon of togarashi, or to taste

2 packs of frozen udon noodles (7 to 8 ounces each), cooked according to package directions and drained