Asian Broth

This broth contains quite a few ingredients, but many are optional and it is a great way to use up different bits and pieces that might be hanging around in the vegetable draw in your fridge.

We have listed the core ingredients that make up the basis of the broth itself. There are quite a few of these, but once you have bought them, they last for ages, and will enable you to rustle up something healthy and delicious in minutes. The broth makes a wonderfully tasty dish for the cold winter months. It’s low in calories too, making it both yummy and virtuous.
Serves 2

Core Ingredients

• 1tsp vegetable oil
• ½ bunch spring onions – sliced
• Thumb sized piece of ginger – peeled and finely chopped
• ½ medium red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped
• Handful fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 chicken OR vegetable stock cube

Optional Ingredients

(Chop all veg into bit sized pieces)

• Handful shitake mushrooms
• Handful broccoli florets
• Handful mangetout/sugar snap peas
• 1 nest rice/egg noodles
• 2 small pak choi/a few shredded cabbage leaves
• Drizzle sesame oil

1. To begin, heat the vegetable oil in a decent sized saucepan on a medium heat
2. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and chilli and fry these off for around 3-4 minutes
3. Add 1.2 litres of water to the pan, along with the crumbled stock cube and allow to come to the boil
4. Next add a generous teaspoon of miso paste, together with the soy sauce, fish sauce and honey, and give it a good stir to combine. Turn the heat down slightly
5. If you are using mushrooms, add them at this stage, and cook for 5 minutes. They will impart a beautifully deep flavour to the broth
6. Next add any hard vegetables that you might be using, such as the broccoli florets, along with the noodles. Allow to cook for a further three minutes
7. Add the remaining vegetables, allow the broth to come back to the boil and then immediately remove from the heat
8. Serve in bowls and finish with a scattering of fresh coriander leaves and a drizzle of sesame oil

**The amount of time you choose to cook the vegetables in the broth is down to your personal taste. The above method cooks the vegetables through, leaving a little bite, but you can adjust this according to your own preference.

Filed under: Recipes
Friday, January 31st, 2014 at 4:26 pm