While walking the dog today it hit me how many greens there are growing here at the moment. There are cabbage, lettuces, Acelgas (Chard), and spring onions, all growing in very neat & tidy rows. These are the greens I had at home. I was inspired by a Japanese dish called Nanakusa-Shiru I found on Bittersweet which promises wealth, luck and a healthy clean start to the year. The ingredients are greens, herbs, brown rice & miso paste. Healthy, delicious, nutritious and warming. Proper feel-good food that is good for you. I just used everything green that I had in my fridge”¦
Mountains of Greens Miso Soup
serves 4 – 6 vegan
* 150 gr uncooked brown rice
* 1/2 head cabbage, finely sliced
* 1 leek, cut in half lengthways, rinsed & sliced
* 2 stalks celery, chopped & leaves
* 4 garlic chives/ajillos (look like scallions see photo above) sliced, or 2 cloves garlic. minced
* 1 spanish spring onion (or 4 scallions) chopped
* 1/2 bag spinach about 150gr
* 1 little gem /lettuce heart, sliced
* a thumbsize piece of ginger peeled & grated about 1tbsp
* a handful of fresh coriander, chopped. Stalks chopped separately
* 100 gr red miso paste
* 1 litre veg stock
* 1/2 litre water (maybe more)
* a few drops sesame oil
* 1 or 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
* salt
* sesame seeds
* dried chilli flakes
* coriander leaves
Cook the brown rice according to the instructions on the pack, rinse well in cold water and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot over a medium heat, heat some oil then add the leeks, celery, garlic chives, spring onions, ginger, coriander stalks & a good pinch of salt. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until softened & fragrant then add the sliced cabbage. Pour in the veg stock and water (you may want to add more water), bring to the boil then reduce the heat & simmer for about 15 minutes.
In a small bowl mix the miso paste with a couple of spoonfuls of the hot stock and mix well to loosen it. Pour the miso into the soup pot and stir. Add in the cooked rice, the rest of the greens and the chopped coriander. Cook for a couple of minutes then season with a few drops of sesame oil and the Shaoxing rice wine. Taste and add some salt if necessary. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with coriander leaves, sesame seeds and a small pinch of chilli flakes.
This recipe can be adapted to use whatever greens you have. Most greens can go in right at the end as they just need to wilt in the hot broth. Cabbage needs a little longer.
This is one of those dishes that is really good for you and it also tastes fantastic, so you don’t feel like you are being deprived. In fact you can feel safe in the knowledge that you are treating your body as a temple for a change and really enjoying it”¦!
