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

Sake to hijiki no itameni / salmon saute with hijiki seaweed

A rich dish that combines the deep flavors of salmon and hijiki. A small amount is very satisfying due to the strong flavoring and sauteed salmon. Great with rice and drinks. Also makes a delicious bento item.

1/3 of recipe:
134 calories; 15.3 g protein; 4.0 g fat; 5.6 g carbohydrate; 4.9 g net carbs; 208 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 284 mg with regular soy sauce); 37 mg cholesterol; 0.7 g fiber

Atsuage, moyashi, saishin no nibitashi / deep-fried tofu, mung bean sprouts and yu choy sum simmered in light broth

When moyashi alone is paired with atsuage, the dish tends to be somewhat bland. Yu choy sum works as a great go-between by adding a cheerful green taste and soft texture, resulting in a dish that has layers of interesting flavors.

1/2 of recipe:
106 calories; 12 g protein; 4.7 g fat; 16.5 g carbohydrate; 15.4 g net carbs;  222 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce, 348 mg with regular soy sauce); 0.6 mg cholesterol; 1.1 g fiber

Hijiki no irini, chikuwa-iri / saute-simmered hijiki seaweed with chikuwa fishcakes

A small side dish with mineral-rich hijiki seaweed. This is relatively sweet and strongly flavored without being overly salty.

1/3 of recipe:
49 calories; 3.3 g protein; 0.9 g fat; 6.7 g carbohydrate; 4.7 g net carbs; 134 mg sodium (with 50% reduced-sodium soy sauce; 185 mg with regular soy sauce); 5 mg cholesterol; 2.0 g fiber

Kiriboshi-daikon to saishin no misoshiru / miso soup with dried julienned daikon radish and yu choy sum

Kiriboshi-daikon is another ingredient packed with umami. It instantly adds a soft and deep taste to miso soup. Niboshi dashi--stock made with young dried sardines—provides the punch to counter kiriboshi-daikon's sweet note. Below I used iriko (tiny niboshi), as I was out of regular niboshi.

1/2 of recipe:
37 calories; 2.2 g protein; 0.4 g fat; 6.3 g carbohydrate; 3.8 g net carbs; 235 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 351 mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.5 g fiber

Saishin to kani, shiitake, tamago no itamemono / yu choy sum, crabmeat, shiitake mushrooms and egg saute

A simple vegetable saute seasoned with salt, pepper and aromatic soy sauce. Shiitake adds an earthy note, the egg deepens the taste, and the crabmeat provides an extra boost.