This is a very easy soup to prepare and is extremely nutritious. Its base is the more traditional Japanese miso soup, but I add all sorts of other goodies to make it tasty and more filling. I change the ingredients every time I make it according to what is to hand, and for variety. You can either use a miso stock base, from a jar or a sachet, bought from any supermarket, or make your own dashi, or a homemade chicken stock. I normally add tofu, mushrooms – shitake, enoki, oyster or even dried shitake and porcini – and greens, soba noodles, plus chilli, ginger and herbs. Ginger and garlic are very good for cancer, especially raw, so steamed is the next best thing. Frying them takes out most of their goodness.
Quick and easy Miso soup with lots of goodies
1 sachet miso powder or 1 tbs miso paste
½ litre water, dashi or stock
6 large shitake or other mushrooms, sliced
good handful of greens – spinach, pak choi, cabbage, choi sum
handful of beansprouts
1/2 pack organic silken tofu
good handful of whole-wheat soba noodles
1 inch ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red chilli, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic (optional) thinly sliced
coriander and spring onion to garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Dilute the miso powder or paste with the water or stock on the hob in a medium pan. Bring to the boil
Add the chilli, ginger and garlic
Add the fresh mushrooms, or the pre-soaked dried ones and the soba noodles.
When the soba noodles are almost cooked (see pack for timings) add the tofu and the greens and simmer for another couple of minutes so the greens are cooked but still a bit crunchy.
Test seasoning and adjust (miso can be a bit salty). if not enough liquid, add more water or stock.
Ladle out and garnish with spring onions and coriander.
healthy living with cancer 