Japanese Style One- Pot Supper

Ingredients:

• 1-2 bundles of Somen noodles (found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store)
• 5 cups reduced- sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mirin or cream sherry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 3-5 thin slices of peeled ginger (I was out of ginger and it still tasted great)
• 12oz stir fry beef
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and cut into thin slices
• 4oz sugar snap or snow peas
• 4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 in. cubes
• 3 green onions (green and white parts), cut into 1 inch lengths
• Sriracha for added heat (my husband puts Sriracha on everything from typical Asian dishes to tuna sandwiches... I put in on nothing... because I'm a wimp)

Boil water and soak somen noodles until soft (about 5 minutes). Drain and cut into smaller pieces (I normally just cut in half).

In a 5- to- 6-qt. pot or a 12-in. frying pan (with sides at least 2 in. high), bring broth, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

Arrange noodles, beef, bell pepper, peas, mushrooms, tofu, and green onions in separate piles in the pot. Cover and simmer, without stirring, until beef is cooked to your preference (I cooked mine for about 9 minutes).

Set pot on the table so people can serve themselves, with Sriracha on the side.

Recipe adapted from Marlene Kawahata in Sunset Magazine