Gomoku ankake udon / wheat noodles with thickened soup and assorted ingredients

Udon often is mentioned as a good choice when feeling unwell. When made with hot, thickened soup, it warms your body from inside. Noodles and warm soup alone is the basic foundation. Ginger -- either grated, finely julienned or only the squeezed juice -- intensifies the warming effect while adding a zesty note and aroma to your soup. Select and cook goodies according to your appetite and condition. While everything is simmered in broth starting with the toughest item below, goodies can be grilled or fried and added to the soup for those who want more texture. This is also a nice dish for chilly days.

The broth's sodium content is on the low end (0.7%), and partly because of the amount of vegetables and mushrooms, it might be too weak for those who have not been on a reduced sodium diet. Adjust the taste to your preferred level at the end.

1/2 of recipe (with virtually sodium-free homemade udon noodles):
480 calories; 22.0 g protein; 3.2 g fat; 87.0 g carbohydrate; 82.9 g net carbs; 651 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium regular soy sauce and shiokoji salted rice malt); 72 mg cholesterol; 4.1 g fiber

Biitsu to ninjin no akadashi / red miso soup with beets and carrots

Butter-sauteed carrots are paired with baked beets for red miso soup, creating a deep melody of flavors. When carrot slices are lightly cooked and allowed to retain their crispness, the taste of the two vegetables is more clearly noticed. When carrot slices are cooked until very tender and beets are cooked a bit longer, the two vegetables mingle together in the soup and produce a complex taste, although cooking beet chunks longer makes beets themselves lighter in color while the soup becomes darker. Below, beet chunks are added toward the end of the cooking process to retain their vivid color, but cooking them longer is well worth trying. This soup may not be a typical Japanese dish but does go well with any Japanese or other Asian food.

1/2 of recipe:
66 calories; 2.8 g protein; 1.3 g fat; 11.6 g carbohydrate; 8.5 g net carbs; 296 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3.1 g fiber

Ninjin no shirishiri / stir-fried shredded carrot with eggs

A tasty everyday dish from Okinawa that has been gaining popularity across Japan in recent years. Slowly sauteing carrots with a small amount of oil enhances the sweetness of the vegetable, and eggs add a gentle, rich taste. Among a number of variations, canned tuna is often mentioned as an addition. The recipe below features okara-konnyaku (soybean pulp yam cakes) to make the dish more filling as well as snow peas for color.

1/2 recipe:
115 calories; 6.1 g protein; 5.4 g fat; 11.2 g carbohydrate; 5.1 g net carbs; 128 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-soy sauce and shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 106 mg cholesterol; 6.1 g fiber

Tosho chaamen / dao xiao chao mian / fried hand-shaven noodles

A cheater version of hand-shaven noodles made with a peeler, and stir fried with an assortment of goodies. Noodle dough is basically the same as teuchi udon handmade wheat noodles but uses less water, which makes the dough prep a bit more time consuming (dry and wet ingredients need to rest together longer before kneading). Less water in turn ensures easy shaving and cooking at the end. While any goodie works great in this noodle dish, dried shiitake mushrooms with their deep flavor and aroma function like underlying seasoning to bind everything together. Very tasty and satisfying.

1/2 recipe: 
596 calories; 26.6 g protein; 15.0 g fat; 85.8 g carbohydrate; 73.1 g net carbs; 595 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce and shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 226 mg cholesterol; 6.1 g fiber

Hijiki no itameni / braised hijiki seaweed

A nice side dish to keep in the fridge for everyday meals and bento. The strong flavor makes it a great companion for steamed rice. Our favorite!

Whole recipe (382 g):
186 calories; 8.9 g protein; 9.1 g fat; 9.6 g carbohydrate; 8.4 g net carbs; 859 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 11.2 g fiber

1 serving (45 g; photo above):
26 calories; 1.2 g protein; 1.3 g fat; 2.7 g carbohydrate; 1.2 g net carbs; 118 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.5 g fiber

Tsumire to retasu no nimono / fish dumplings and lettuce simmered in broth

This resembles a nabe hot pot but is cooked in a stronger broth. Soft and fluffy tsumire fish dumplings crumble in your mouth, while lettuce gives some crispiness. As with any item made with surimi ground fish paste, these dumplings by themselves contain a relatively high amount of sodium, but the sodium is released into the broth while simmering, and you can comfortably enjoy the gentle taste tsumire offers -- one of the great advantages of nimono simmered dishes, where the broth is often left behind in the pot or untouched in bowls.

196 calories (1/2 of recipe); 12.6 g protein; 8.2 g fat; 14.6 g carbohydrate; 13.0 g net carbs; 250 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 79 mg cholesterol; 1.6 g fiber

Oden (genen) / fishcake, tofu and root vegetable stew (reduced-sodium version)

An unbeatable comfort food in cold seasons! The original version had the major drawback of being loaded with sodium, but the dish is finally ready to be re-introduced at our table. Major differences are making the dashi stronger by additionally using niboshi young dried sardines for a powerful base, reducing the amount of sake, desalinating fishcakes, using reduced-sodium soy sauce, and partially replacing soy sauce with rice vinegar as well as substituting shiokoji salted rice malt for some salt. Each change may be minor, but the outcome is surprisingly low in sodium and of course very tasty!

535 calories (1/4 of recipe); 34.4 g protein; 28.7 g fat; 38.9g carbohydrate; 31.4 g net carbs; 282 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 286 mg cholesterol; 7.5 g fiber

Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth

A personal-size, sizzling hot pot with udon for cold days. The combination of aka miso and soy milk makes this a mild yet deep and satisfying dish. As it is individually cooked in a small clay pot, goody choices can easily be personalized. Even better, each pot can be prepared at a different time -- when noodles, soup and goodies are prepped and ready for assembly, everyone gets to enjoy hot pot simmered just for them, which is perfect for busy days when family members are on different schedules. This dish warms you up from the inside, but you still need to be careful not to burn your mouth!

With 80 g dried udon wheat noodles per serving:
529 calories (1/2 of recipe); 26.8 g protein; 13.3 g fat; 75.4 g carbohydrate; 67.2 g net carbs; 723 mg sodium (with shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce); 214 mg cholesterol; 8.2 g fiber

Ninjin to enoki no pirikara itameni / braised spicy carrot and enoki mushrooms

This kinpira-style spicy side dish with the clear taste of soy sauce and a sweet underlying note is an everyday favorite. Cooked enoki become a bit creamy, providing a nice contrast to the texture of carrot spears. Quick and easy, this is a great small addition at your table or in the lunch box.

1/2 of recipe:
52 calories; 1.3 g protein; 1.2 g fat; 8.7 g carbohydrate; 6.3 g net carbs; 98 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 177 mg with regular soy sauce); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.4 g fiber

Itokoni / root vegetables and azuki beans simmered in broth

While itokoni is not very different from my usual root vegetables miso soup, it does offer something new -- azuki beans. Itokoni made with root vegetables, konnyaku yam cake and usuage thin deep-fried tofu or atsuage deep-fried tofu is a regional dish from Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata prefectures. My aunt who lives in Namerikawa in Toyama brought us a pot of itokoni one day in late fall, and that was when I first discovered the magic of azuki beans, which make an ordinary soup slightly starchy and subtly mellow. As a young child, I did not really like soy sauce- or miso-tinted brownish simmered dishes; they all looked so unappealing and almost discouraging to eat, but Auntie Namerikawa's itokoni really grabbed my heart, and I begged her to bring us itokoni again and again. The recipe below tastes just like her itokoni.

1/2 of recipe:
141 calories; 7.7 g protein; 2.7 g fat; 21.6 g carbohydrate; 12.9 g net carbs; 238 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 300+ mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 8.7 g fiber

Caldo de camarones / Mexican shrimp soup

A shrimp soup I enjoyed repeatedly whenever available during a road trip in Mexico years ago. Soupy but very aromatic and satisfying, thanks to the rich broth and numerous dried chili peppers that go into it.

1/2 of recipe:
257 calories; 23.8 g protein; 1.8 g fat; 30.8 g carbohydrate; 23.8 g net carbs; 552 mg sodium; 141 mg cholesterol; 7.0 g fiber

Shiifuudo no remon karee / seafood lemon curry

An easy seafood curry that goes well with either rice or couscous. Lemon adds a refreshing touch with its mild sourness. Great when temperatures start to climb in summer.

1/4 of recipe:
247 calories; 27.1 g protein; 5.6 g fat; 21.0 g carbohydrate; 17.1 g net carbs; 356 mg sodium; 67.0 mg cholesterol; 3.9 g fiber

When serviced with 150 g steamed rice:
499 calories per serving; 30.9 g protein; 6.1 g fat; 76.7 g carbohydrate; 72.3 g net carbs; 358 mg sodium; 67.0 mg cholesterol; 4.4 g fiber

Kaisen chukadon / Chinese-style seafood saute over steamed rice

A tasty Japanese donburi of a classic Chinese dish. This is a reduced-sodium version of a previously posted chukadon recipe. It uses more vinegar than the original recipe and much less soy sauce and oyster sauce, but the sourness is milder... Why? Vinegar is boiled (in microwave) to get rid of excess sourness, leaving just enough sour taste and a sensation that mimics saltiness. This recipe also uses Shaoxing wine instead of sake to ensure a flavorful outcome. All in all, this is a very satisfying dish that sticks to your ribs.

1/2 of recipe (when served with 150 g steamed rice):
401 calories; 15.8 g protein; 2.8 g fat; 74.9 g carbohydrate; 71.4 g net carbs; 521 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 673 mg with regular soy sauce); 37 mg cholesterol; 3.5 g fiber

Warabi to eringi no iridofu / scrambled tofu with bracken and king oyster mushrooms

Iridofu scrambled tofu is a wonderful way to showcase any in-season vegetable. Warabi bracken is no exception. As warabi is a great match with shrimp and mushrooms, the dish takes advantage of sakura ebi (for an underlying toasty note) and eringi mushrooms (for a hint of sourness). A delightful everyday meal companion.

1/2 of recipe:
128 calories; 10.0 g protein; 7.2 g fat; 6.9 g carbohydrate; 3.4 g net carbs; 169 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce, 198 mg with regular soy sauce); 61 mg cholesterol; 3.5 g fiber

Iridori / chikuzen-ni / braised chicken with root vegetables

A classic chicken and root vegetable dish. The softly sweet and salty taste makes it a great companion for plain rice and drinks. It is also a popular osechi dish for the New Year, and is great for bento and picnics.

1/2 of recipe:
213 calories; 12.8 g protein; 11.0 g fat; 14.7 g carbohydrate; 10.8 g net carbs; 243 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce & shoyukoji made with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce, 429 mg with regular soy sauce and shoyukoji made with regular soy sauce); 62 mg cholesterol; 3.9 g fiber

Ika-iri unohana / saute-simmered soybean pulp with calamari

A gentle and comforting okara dish with the added touch of calamari.

1/4 of recipe:
57 calories; 3.9 g protein; 1.6 g fat; 5.7 g carbohydrate; 2.4 g net carbs; 97 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 152 mg with regular soy sauce); 32 mg cholesterol; 3.3 g fiber

Ninjin to okura, satsumaage no itameni / saute-simmered carrot, okra and deep-fried fishcake

Yummy! This gently sweet, salty and spicy dish goes perfectly with plain rice and drinks. Also makes a great bento item.

1/2 of recipe:
93 calories; 5.0 g protein; 1.6 g fat; 13.9 g carbohydrate; 17.6 g net carbs;  151 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 227 mg with regular soy sauce); 4 mg cholesterol; 2.3 g fiber

Konsai no sakekasu misoshiru / miso soup with root vegetables and sake lees

Hearty, satisfying and warming – and all you have to do is add sakekasu to your everyday miso soup. Aromatic and flavorful, sakekasu also lets you use even less miso than my recent low-sodium recipe for miso soup with yogurt.

1/2 of recipe:
50 calories; 2.3 g protein; 0.4 g fat; 9.0 g carbohydrate; 6.4 g net carbs; 189 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 234 mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.6 g fiber

Moyashi to ninjin no mentaiko-itame / stir-fried bean sprouts and carrot with spicy salted pollock roe

A quick stir fry with mentaiko makes a great small addition to a meal or bento. 

1/2 of recipe:
37 calories; 3.4 g protein; 1.5 g fat; 3.1 g carbohydrate; 2.0 g net carbs; 153 mg sodium (with desalinated mentaiko; 294 mg without desalination); 31 mg cholesterol; 1.1 g fiber

Tonyu nabe / hot pot with soy milk broth

A somewhat rich hot pot with a very mild aftertaste.

1/2 of recipe:
413 calories; 46.5 g protein; 14.8 g fat; 21.8 g carbohydrate; 15.5 g net carbs; 707 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce for both broth and ponzujoyu; 980 mg with regular soy sauce); 74 mg cholesterol; 6.3 g fiber