Recipe: Vegan Soba Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

200g soba noodles

1 pack firm tofu

350g shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed

1 pak choi

50g Swiss chard or kale

1 carrot

1 watermelon radish

Black sesame seeds to garnish

Tofu marinade

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

1l vegetable stock

½ thumb sized piece ginger

2 garlic cloves

1 spring onion

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp miso paste

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp sake

Allergens are marked in bold

For your stock, finely chop the ginger and garlic cloves and finely slice spring onion, carrot and watermelon radish. Cut the fresh shiitake mushrooms into ½ cm slices. Slice the Swiss chard and cut the pak choi into quarters. Cut the tofu into cubes and marinade with miso, soy sauce and mirin making sure all the tofu pieces are coated well. Soak the noodles in hot water for 8-10 minutes if you like your noodles with a bite. If you prefer your noodles softer, then boil your noodles for 4-5 minutes on a rolling boil.

In a saucepan heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger, spring onions. Add the miso, mirin, sake and the vegetable stock. Bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes, lower the heat and simmer for 8-10minutes. In a frying pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and start cooking the mushroom slices. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding a ladle of your stock. Cook for a further 3 minutes and set aside. Add a teaspoon on the same frying pan and start the tofu for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Just before serving, re-heat the noodles in the stock for 30-60 seconds. Blanch the vegetables in the stock starting with the harder vegetables (watermelon radish and carrot), blanch the Swiss chard and pak choi for a minute. Serve your bowl of noodles topped with the mushrooms.