Soy braised shiitake mushrooms in broth with noodles

Deeply savoury mushrooms in a crystal clear broth with slippery noodles and a few crunchy vegetables. Splendid stuff.  I just had it for lunch.

You will need:

1/8 cup soy
1/8 cup mirin
1/8 cup of sake
1 dessert spoon of caster sugar
pinch salt
8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms (depending on size)
3/4 pint of boiling water
50-75g of dried rice vermicelli noodles cooked according to the packet instructions and refreshed under cold water
1 celery stick very finely sliced
2 spring onions very finely sliced

Soak the mushrooms in the water for 20 minutes then fish them out with a spoon and slice.  KEEP THE SOAKING LIQUID!

Put the mushrooms in a saucepan with the soy, mirin, sake and salt and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced.  (You could stop now and just have the soy braised mushrooms on rice for a light lunch but we are going to keep going).

Add the reserved soaking liquid to the mushrooms and bring to the boil.

Now add the noodles, celery and spring onion.  Swirl around for a few seconds and then tip into a large soup bowl and start slurping.

Little tip:  Don't buy the vermicelli noodles that come in nests.  The nests are too big for one person and if you try and divide them up noodle fragments will fly everywhere making your kitchen floor look like the bottom of a gerbil's cage (if it doesn't already).  Stick with the straight noodles that come neatly tied in the middle like a sheaf of wheat.