I love the days in between Christmas and new year when the crazy festive bustle is over and New Year’s Eve seems a way to go. Some quieter times can suddenly happen when you meet up with a friend for a cuppa, or play with some of your Xmas presents, or even go on an outing (that felt very brave – surely I needed to cook for a gaggle or clear up the festive mess, change bedlinen?)
Here’s the result of one late afternoon’s play with a cookbook by Gizzi Erskine.
A quirky mix of recipes with a bit more ‘meaty’ than I expected, but also delicious vegetable dishes with fascinating flavours, a combination of Asian and Polish and more….
When I stand in a bookstore and leaf through a cookbook I instantly see some stand-out recipes, the ones that make me want Ownership of the book.
This recipe is one of those. The curry miso soup has so many decadently delicious ingredients, just reading it made my mouth water, already tasting the heady rich miso-soy broth.
My recipe here is slightly different to the original; I’ve made it mine. Still gluten and dairy free, I added some roasted gem and chicory because they were in our kitchen and I love leafies.
I left out the tofu and kimchi only because we needed a holiday from tofu, and the kimchi had magically vanished. I did offer a side dish of other pickled veg, but it remained untouched. Our plates already had enough going on – and yes, I should make mention here that there is also quite a bit going on in the making of this dish. You’ll have a warm glow of achievement when you serve up, lol!
There is a lot of elbow room to be creative. You could add different roasted veg, like I did. Or make it vegan by leaving out the egg, or swap it for marinated chicken or add more noodles.
I’ll be sticking to this one as it was delicious.
Ingredients for 2 portions
(the soup part is enough for 4 portions)
2 tbsp coconut oil or virgin olive
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cms ginger, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder (I used Steenbergs organic)
1/2 tsp turmeric (I used Rachels’ turmeric paste; worked fine)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (or the amount to suit you; OR add 1 tbsp soy bean chilli oil instead)
200g white miso paste (I used Clearspring)
3 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Marmite (oh joy it was still in our larder from our youngest son)
2 tbsp tamari sauce
1.2 litres boiling water
400ml soy milk or any non-dairy milk (I used Mylk)
200g shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I used portabello & ‘exotic mix’ )
100ml teriyaki sauce
2 free-range eggs, boiled for 6 minutes, then put in iced water, then peeled
80g buckwheat noodles per person, cooked al dente (then dunked in iced water to stop the cooking process)
3 slices roasted butternut squash per person
1 roasted gem lettuce, halved
2 roasted red chicory, halved
spring onions, chopped
tsp sesame seeds
Optional: 200g firm tofu, thickly sliced, or pieces of marinated chicken….
Method:
In a medium pot or deep pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onion till it softens, about 10 mins. Add the garlic and ginger and sweat a few minutes before adding the turmeric, coriander and curry powders, then the chilli flakes (or above mentioned chillli oil).
Stir for a couple of minutes then add the water and whisk in the miso paste and marmite. Add the mirin and tamari. Cook on a low simmer for 30 mins to reduce, then add the non-dairy milk. Blend till smooth and put aside until you are ready to reheat.
Meanwhile, in a little oil roast the butternut slices in the oven until slightly caramelized. Add the halved chicory and gem lettuce for the last 8 or so mins of that roasting. You want these to be slightly charred on the outside but still with some crispness, some body.
Whilst roasting, put the cooked, peeled eggs in a bowl of teriyaki sauce, coat and leave until you’re ready to put the meal together.
Fry the sliced mushrooms in oil and put aside when done. If you’re adding tofu or chicken then you could fry these now and also marinate them in teriyaki sauce.
Cook the buckwheat noodles in boiling water; they only need a few minutes but follow the packet’s instructions, then dip in iced water and place on the side until you put the dish together.
Putting it together:
Reheat the soup.
Divide the noodles between the two bowls as well as the roasted butternut slices, 1/2 roasted gem lettuce and chicory.
Pour in the hot soup so some of the ingredients are peeking out. Remember there will be liquid left over for you to repeat another meal of two portions, hooray!
Add the halved egg, and if you’re using tofu or cooked chicken, add those.
Sprinkle the chopped spring onion over the top (& the sesame seeds I forgot in this photo, lol).
Now enjoy your delicious work of art!