Noodle Soup

The Broth is everything here, and feel free to add in whatever veg you like to the soup. The one here has lots of exotic wild mushrooms but really any veg will do. If you can't get hold off dried shiitake mushrooms, porcini or other dried varieties will be fine. Also I use fresh brown rice miso, again any red/brown or white miso would work I am sure. It is heady and fragrant, with a touch of heat, I could literally just sip it on its own out of a mug.

SERVES:
02-04

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

1.5 litres vegetable stock

2 kaffir lime leaves, fresh if you can get them but dried are fine

3 garlic cloves peeled and given a quick bash

2 cloves

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 star anise

25g dried shitake or other dried mushrooms

2tbs brown rice miso paste fresh if you can get it

4 tbsp. tamari

Large thumb sized piece of ginger roughly peeled and cut into discs

2 tbsp. rice wine

Zest of half a kaffir lime or regular

Juice 1 lime

½ mild red chilli sliced

A good grinding of black pepper

To serve

Exotic or standard mushrooms

Vegetables such as sugar snap peas, baby corn, spinach, Pak choi, green beans, mange tout, and broccoli.

Coriander leaves

Fresh chilli

Thai basil

Sesame seeds

Spring onion

Sesame oil

Enoki mushrooms

Lime wedges

Noodles of your choice, I like rice noodles or whole wheat, buckwheat are good too.

The stalks from a small bunch of coriander roughly chopped.

Instructions

In a large pan add all the ingredients except the fresh lime juice. Heat on a medium heat and allow all the favours to mingle together, keep on a low heat for approx. 30 minutes and up to an hour.
After it has had a good half an hour drain everything through a sieve into a fresh pan. Take the shiitake mushrooms and a couple of the star Anais from the sieve and discard the rest.
Put back onto the heat add the lime juice and taste for seasoning, if it needs a little salt or pepper or more lime, add as necessary, but it should be perfect.
You can leave it on a very low heat covered until youâ€™re ready to serve and turn up the heat a little about 5 mins before serving.
Cook your noodle to the packets instructions. Blanch any vegetables. If you're using exotic mushrooms or any mushrooms add these to the broth about 5 mins before serving.
Place the noodles and veg into bowls and pour the hot broth over, garnish with fresh coriander, chillies, spring onions, enoki mushrooms, beansprouts, Thai basil leaves, sesame seeds, and an extra drizzle if sesame oil.