Tuesday 17 March 2015

Rocket & Roses Lotus Root Miso Soup (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Gwen Stefani ~ Cool 
Bonnie Raitt ~ Thing Called Love
Audioslave ~ Wide Awake
The Cranberries ~ Do You Know
The Trews ~ 65 Roses
Schubert: Ave Maria 
Bowes & Morley ~ I'd Take The Stars Out Of The Sky
The Rolling Stones ~ Under My Thumb
Jace Everett ~ More To Life
Bon Jovi ~ Lie To Me
Black Stone Cherry ~ Dance Girl
Janiva Magness ~ Some People Say
Blackwolf ~ Only Said In Silence
Slash ft Fergie ~ Beautiful Dangerous

I really have been enjoying my experiments in Japanese inspired cuisine. Today's recipe is one of my favourite outcomes of those sessions. I am on record as being an extremely mushroom challenged person but enoki are the exception to that rule. I love them...raw or warmed through in a hot meal. Lotus root is also another 'new to me' love. Neither have a particularly strong flavour but both come alive when added to the right dishes. I greatly enjoyed both in this miso soup. I love the savoury broth and the many layers of texture provided by the veggies. The heat from the chilli and ginger end every mouthful perfectly. Foods that are healing are very important to me and you certainly feel nourished, cherished and a step closer to being healed when eating this soup. Something all of us can appreciate...isn't it?

Rocket & Roses Lotus Root Miso Soup

Rocket & Roses Lotus Root Miso Soup     Serves 2
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

1 garlic clove, micro-grated
1/2" piece of fresh ginger root, micro-grated
1 spring onion, minced
3/4 cup fresh vegan dashi stock (this is the recipe I use)
1 1/2 cups of filtered water
1 red chilli, cut in half & sliced, seeds included
1 head of Pak Choy, green and white parts separated, sliced
2 spring onions, sliced diagonally into 1" pieces
1 carrot, cut into 1/2" coins, cut into flowers
4" piece of Daikon/Mooli, cut into strips
2 slices of par-boiled lotus root chunks, quartered 
1 tbsp sweet white miso 
1 oz Enoki mushrooms, roots trimmed off and rinsed

In a med wok bring the water and dashi stock to a gentle boil. Add in the garlic, ginger, chilli and minced spring onion and bring back to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add the pak choy stalks, spring onions, diakon, carrot flowers and lotus root continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the pak choy greens and simmer for 2 minutes more. 

Measure out the miso paste onto a spoon and then gently stir it into the stock until it has melted completely. The stock will look cloudy (and taste so good!) and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter the enoki mushrooms over the soup and leave to heat through and then serve...

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a reason to smile today...

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation. I have no problem with you using it or sharing it. I simply ask that you give credit where its due and make links back to this posting. Many thanks...~R~