Oh yes February is a chilly old month, which just makes me want to curl up inside with a big old bowl of soup. My latest recipe is a very warming AND tummy calming concoction, full of ginger and a little fermented miso paste.
When my stomach is feeling uncomfortable ginger is one of the first things I turn to, so this soup can feel very healing when I need a bit of a tummy hug.
This is such a simple soup to whip up on a chilly weekend or evening with very little effort. You can also play around with adding whatever vegetables you happen to have in your fridge. Chopped broccoli, leeks or a handful of spinach would all make very nice additions.
It’s best to add the miso paste at the end so the heat doesn’t kill off the flavour.Β I’ve also added a little smoked tofu, but you could also use prawns or poached chicken if you eat seafood or meat.
Make sure you sit somewhere cosy and wrap your hands around your warm bowl before slowly sipping. This is a very restorative bowl after a brisk muddy winter walk!
Gingery Miso Noodle Broth
Serves 2 – vegan, gluten free
A generous splash of extra virgin olive oil
100g smoked firm tofu, cut into thin slices
A pinch of salt & pepper to season
1 medium (or 1/2 large) red onion, thinly sliced
A generous thumb sized chunk of ginger, cut into very thin matchstick slices
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
1/2 medium courgette, cut into thin strips
3-4 medium chestnut mushrooms, sliced
600ml vegetable stock (or use a good quality stock cube with 500ml water)
50g rice noodles
2 tbs miso paste (brown or white)
1. Gently heat the olive oil in a work or medium heavy based saucepan. Add the tofu strips and stir fry for a minutes until they just browned and crispy on the edges. Pop to the side while you are preparing the rest of the soup.
2.Β Add the onion, garlic, ginger and black pepper, and fry for 5-10 minutes so that the onion is nicely softened. Add a splash more oil if it looks a little dry. Add the mushrooms and fry for a minute, before adding the carrot and courgette, and frying for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer, leaving it to bubble away for about 5 minutes. Add the noodles and cook through (check your packet, but it’s normally only a couple of minutes are needed). Stir the miso paste through and simmer for another minute or two. Check the seasoning and add a little more salt or pepper if needed.
4. Pour the soup into 2 bowls and top with the strips of tofu.
Additional flavour options
– Use soba or wholewheat noodles instead of rice noodles
– Add a pinch of chilli flakes for added spice
– Swirl a little beaten egg through the broth before serving (though this of course means it won’t be vegan!)
– Sprinkle some nori or other seaweed flakes over the top of the soup once in the bowls
