Vegetable Noodle Soup with Tumeric Miso Broth
About 6 or 7 years ago, I was introduced to macrobiotics and with that came a whole new world of culinary experiences. Many of which involved traditional Japanese ingredients like miso paste, a wonderful ingredient that to my surprise and astonishment came in a variety of options and could be used in so many preparations, beyond the traditional miso soup in Japanese restaurants. A whole new world of goodness opened up to my palate and I was forever changed.
Miso paste is traditionally produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji (a fungus) and sometimes rice, barley or other grains like millet. It comes in a variety of colours from white to red and the darker the colour the stronger the flavour. White miso, my personal favourite, is the lightest and sweetest of them all while red miso is the strongest. Nowadays you can even find soy free miso made by fermenting chickpeas or black beans. These are great for people with soy allergies or those just wanting to avoid soy (even though I don’t think it’s necessary to avoid organic soy in moderation, but that’s for another article).
Miso paste now holds a permanent spot in my refrigerator and oh the ways I’ve used it, I could write a whole book (I’m pretty sure someone has) but let’s start with the most traditional use, miso soup.
Miso soup is traditionally made by diluting miso paste in broth. You can use either a vegetable stock or go the traditional route by first preparing a dashi stock. Once the stock is ready, the miso paste is dilluted in a small amount of it and the mixture is added back to the pot, and the broth is served with wakame and scallions as a simple prequel to a meal. The soup can be turned into a meal in and of itself by pouring the broth over cooked noodles, steamed vegetables, sauteed tofu/tempeh cubes or another protein choice all together. It’s light yet satisfying and does wonders for the digestive system.
Miso paste is a product of fermentation making it an excellent source of probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that are essential for gut health, good digestion, nutrient absorption and general well being.
Because it’s full of live cultures and enzymes, it should never be boiled. You’ll want to dilute a small amount in warm broth and add it back to the pot after you’ve turned off the heat. If you’re planning to make large batches of the stock to reheat throughout the week, it’s best to add the miso to individual serving bowls and not directly to the pot of stock because you’ll destroy the live enzymes each time you reheat it.
Miso paste is also an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals including the essential B complex vitamins., manganese, copper, and phosphorus and vitamin K. If you chose to make your miso soup with dashi stock instead of vegetable stock, you’ll be adding all sorts of extra super food goodness to it. My favourite dashi stock is made by boiling kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms. Kombu, an algae (aka sea vegetable or seaweed) from the kelp family is an excellent source of minerals, most notably iodine and calcium. Dried shiitake mushrooms are an excellent source of copper, vitamin B5 and selenium. They’re powerful anti-oxidants and have potent anti-inflammatory properties.
For today, I’m sharing my go to quick and easy vegetable noodle soup in a turmeric miso broth. I promise to share my dashi recipe with you at some point though as well.
This nutritious and delicious soup comes together in 20 minutes. The turmeric broth can be made in a large batch and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and makes a great canvas for a vegetable noodle miso soup that you can customize based on your taste preference and what you have on hand. Change up the vegetables, use leftovers if you have them hanging out in the refrigerator, replace the noodles with rice or leave them out all together, or add in tofu or a soft boiled egg. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with sesame seeds, and use dark miso for a sharper flavour.
Vegetable Noodle Soup with Turmeric Miso Broth
Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com
- Time 20 minutes
- Difficulty Easy
- Servings 3-4
- Diet vegan, gluten free
- Category Soup
Ingredients for the Turmeric Broth:
- 5 C Filtered Water
- 1 Carrot, Julienned
- 1 Leek, White and Light Green Parts, Sliced into thin rounds
- 2 Tsp Tamari
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeri Powder
Ingredients for the Vegetable Noodle Soup:
- 2-3 Ladles of the Turmeric Broth, per person
- 1 Tbsp Shiro (Sweet) Miso, per person
- 40-60g of Noodles of Choice, per person (I like black rice or soba noodles)
- 1/2 - 1 C Cooked Non Starchy Vegetables (steamed brocoli, peas, greens, zucchini, cauliflower etc...), per person
Method:
- Add water, carrots and leeks to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Add tamari and turmeric, stir and reduce heat to low.
- Cover and simmer until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the other elements:
- Cook noodles according to package directions.
- Steam or blanche non startchy vegetables: place them in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water or in a pot of freshly boiled water, cover and let steam or blanche for 2-4 minutes depending on the vegetable:
- Broccoli - 2 minutes
- Cauliflower - 3 minutes
- Delicate Leafy Greens (i.e spinach, beet tops, etc...) - 1 - 2 minutes
- Hearty Leafy Greens (chard, collards, kale) - 4-5 minutes
- Fresh or Frozen Peas - 1 - 2 minutes
- Zucchini - 3 - 4 minutes
- Once all the elements are ready, pour broth into indivudual bowls and add 1 tablespoon of shiro or sweet miso paste to each bowl and stir to dilute it and incorporate well.
- Add noodles, vegetables and the carrots and leeks from the broth and serve as is or with a soft boiled egg if desired.
- If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Notes
The vegetable cooking times above result in just cooked and still crispy vegetables. If you like your vegetables softer, leave them to steam or blanche for a little longer, being carefully not to overcook them causing vitamins and minerals to leach into the water.
