Healing foods: Hearty Miso Soup

Written by Margaret Floyd on 30/01/11 pm31 03:00 PM
8 Comments

Last week I wrote about immune-boosting strategies. One of my favorite immune-boosting meals is a big bowl of hearty miso soup. I’m not talking the little bowl you get before your sushi with a couple of cubes of tofu and the odd bit of seaweed. I’m talking about a nice, hearty, nourishing bowl of nutrient-packed goodness.

Miso is a type of fermented soy, so it’s easy to digest. This soup is very alkalinizing and balancing for your system, so it’s a great meal to eat on your way into or out of a cleanse. It’s also a great vegan alternative to chicken soup if you’re feeling under the weather and want a little warm soup love to make you feel better.

Here’s a recipe I’ve adapted from what I’ve learned from Chef James.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 large shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 4 large savoy cabbage or bok choy leaves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup adzuki beans or quinoa, pre-soaked and cooked (if using canned beans, make sure they’re the low- or no-sodium variety and are well rinsed)
• 2 tablespoons red miso
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger (tip: keep your ginger in the freezer and use a zester on it, still frozen)
• 1/4 cup arame, kombu or wakame (if you’re using kombu or wakame, cut them with scissors into thin strips)
• 1 green onion, chopped

Directions

In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the coconut oil on medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the shitake mushroom, a dash of salt, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add carrot, savoy cabbage, and adzuki beans or quinoa. Stir to mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

While veggies are cooking, bring water to boil in a kettle. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of boiling water to the 2 tablespoons miso paste, and whisk together to form a more liquid-y paste using a fork.

Add remaining water plus miso mixture to the pot with the veggies. Mince ginger, seaweed and green onion into the soup. Stir to mix thoroughly. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to soften the seaweed, and serve immediately.

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