Every Flavour Noodle Broth
Honestly, there are times when I feel like throwing the towel in and flouncing off to become a podiatrist or something. It happens on the, thankfully rare, occasions when the whole foodie scene loses its head and gets all obsessed with something completely nonsensical.
January is a particularly persistent offender. Half the food world can’t get through a whole sentence without saying the word ‘vegan’ or ‘detox’ or ‘cleanse’. And the other half, as if in pointed opposition, turns into some Bacchant monster revelling in the self-destructive joys of comfort food drenched in cream and butter. Oat milk on one side, cheesy meatballs on the other. The battle lines are drawn and it’s enough to make you despair.
Because I don’t want either. I’m so full up on the indulgence of Christmas that I couldn’t look at another trifle, but January is too miserable already to make it even bleaker by eating tofu.
I suspect I’m not alone in this predicament. And so I’m pleased to offer up an alternative: this week’s recipe is a veritable beauty queen champion of wholesome sustenance. It’s a warming, satisfying broth/ramen-of-sorts that’s brimming with umami flavours and lots of veg. It will nourish like a health food but sooth like nursery food – no need to pick a side.
It’s wonderfully flexible too, hence the ‘every flavour’ title. I’ve used pak choi here because the slugs have got to my cabbages, but you can use slug-free cabbage if you have it, or any sort of vegetable that will cook nicely in the broth, – mushrooms, leeks, spinach, chard…
Every Flavour Noodle Broth
Ingredients
- 50g buckwheat noodles
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 300ml chicken stock
- 5-6 prawns, shell off (or cooked chicken strips if you prefer)
- Handful of pak choi (or leeks, spinach, mushrooms, chard, spring onions – whatever you have)
- Soy sauce, to serve
- Chilli, sliced, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the noodles in boiling water until al dente (around 5 minutes) then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes, but don’t let them brown. Add the miso paste and the stock and stir together.
- Heat the broth until just below boiling point then add the prawns, pak choi and noodles. Cook without boiling for 3-4 minutes until the prawns are cooked through.
- Adjust the seasoning with some soy sauce, scatter over the chilli then serve.
