Vegan Eats

I was originally going to post this soup back in December of last year. Although, when I first made it, I over-seasoned it and the soup ended up tasting a bit… poisony. But this version is revised and doesn’t taste like poison at all! I swear!

Soba is wonderful. They’re thin Japanese buckwheat noodles, often served chilled with a sauce or dressing. As I’ve probably mentioned before, noodles are a big comfort food for me, so this warming miso noodle soup is perfect during the cold winter days. Speaking of noodle soups, the other night my friend Rick and I ate at this new vegan Vietnamese restaurant called White Lotus, where we shared a big bowl of veggie ‘beef’ pho and a couple other great dishes. Fresh basil, mint, lime juice, pickled carrot and daikon; so many bright flavours! I had never really tried Vietnamese food before and it was delicious! I highly recommend White Lotus to anyone in/around the Toronto area.

There’s one more thing I’d like to explain about this recipe that pertains to the important realm of nutrition. As part of the base of the soup, I use a type of kelp called kombu, which is a Japanese sea vegetable that has been around for centuries as a health food throughout Asia. Kombu kelp is sun dried and comes in packages of long strips. You’ll be able to find this seaweed in most health food stores.* Incorporating sea vegetables (a.k.a. seaweed/algae)  into your diet is definitely a good idea, and certainly something I, myself, should be doing more of. Since they come from the ocean, sea vegetables contain a very wide range of dietary minerals. Iodine, calcium, magnesium, and iron: seaweed’s got it all! Also, they’re a good source of the B vitamins folate, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Other popular types of edible seaweed include nori (sushi!), hijiki, wakame, and spirulina. For further information on sea vegetables (including usage information and ideas), and to see the source from which I found most of the above information, click here!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon ginger, grated or minced
1/4 cup carrot, thinly sliced
6 or 7 Shiitake mushrooms, woody stems removed and thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium or homemade vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 7″ piece of kombu
4 oz. extra-firm tofu (about 1/4 package), cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon miso
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 cup cooked soba noodles**
Sea salt, to taste
Green onions, chopped, to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook soba noodles in a large pot according to package instructions. In a strainer, drain and run under cold water to stop noodles from cooking any more. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add ginger, carrot, and Shiitake. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes until fragrant. Add a touch of water if it’s sticking too much.
3. Add the vegetable stock, water, kombu, tofu, and soy sauce. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the kombu.
4. Add the miso and stir through for about 30 seconds to a minute until dissolved into broth.
5. Add the sesame oil and soba noodles, stir through and let simmer for about 1 more minute until the noodles are just heated through. Season to taste with a tiny pinch of salt, if needed.
6. Serve in bowls and add green onions to taste.
Serves: 3 to 4

*You can also find kombu at pretty much any Whole Foods, but like, get it from a local health food store if you’ve got one in your local area, will ya?!
**To make this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use either soba that is made entirely of buckwheat flour (which can be expensive and hard to find), or substitute another gluten-free noodle in its place. In fact, a thin rice noodle would work great with this recipe. Also, obviously, make sure that your soy sauce and miso is gluten-free.