Shiitake Spinach Miso Soup

This winter, one of my cooking goals is to get a couple of Asian inspired noodle or rice dishes into my repertoire. I'm looking for something that will come together fairly quickly for a weeknight meal and with ingredients that I'm likely to have on hand regularly and/or can get easily - sesame oil, chili paste, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, etc. Of course I also want it to be tasty. This one fits the bill. It serves well as a basic noodle soup with a light broth that can be added to. If you want to spice it up with sriracha, you can, but it's also flavorful enough on its own. I was doing a search on line and came across this website that I hadn't seen before, abeautifulplate.com.  The combination of mushrooms and spinach caught my eye. I love shiitake, and will try this with other mushrooms as well. I added edamame and a poached egg to mine to make it a dinner.

Shiitake Spinach Miso Soup
8 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/3 cup sliced scallions, white and light green parts only (about 3-4)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
5 cups water
3 tablespoons white miso paste
4 oz soba noodles
2 cups packed baby spinach
1 tablespoon tamarin or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red hot chili flakes
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 poached egg per person
salt to taste

1. Prepare mushrooms by removing stems, then cleaning with a damp cloth and then slicing.
2. If adding edamame, set them aside to thaw.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan/soup pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt. Let the mushrooms cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the ginger, scallions and garlic. Cook for 1 more minute.
5. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Scoop out a little of the water and add it to the miso paste in a small bowl. Mix together and add back to the pot. Simmer over low heat  for 15 minutes.
6. While the soup is simmering, cook the noodles according to package directions in a separate pan. It's ok to keep them al dente since they'll be cooking a bit more when you add them to the soup. When they are done, drain and set aside.
7. Poach eggs in small saucepan and set aside.
8. After the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, add the noodles, followed by the spinach, edamame, soy sauce/tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar and chili flakes. Let the spinach wilt and mix together.
9.  Ladel soup into bowls and top with an egg.