Nigel Slater's Easy, Summer Miso Broth with Greens for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

When I made Nigel Slater's Summer Vegetable Laksa a couple of weeks ago, I found myself also interested in the other summer soup listed in his The Guardian article, Miso Broth with Greens. I make a lot of quick miso soups with vegetables for a quick meal or snack, but I liked his use of an herb paste to add to the mix.

Nigel says, "You can use yellow or brown miso paste to give body to a clear broth, but the yellow had my attention this week for its mellow, almost creamy quality. It dissolves easily and adds a mushroom-like note. I keep it in the fridge for occasions such as this. (Or for my emergency meal of powdered vegetable bouillon, miso paste and any green vegetable that's around.) What I really love about miso paste is its ability to make a soup more sustaining without adding bulk. ... The greens are up to you. I used long thin ung choi, but bok choi, spinach, shredded spring cabbage or anything that takes your fancy, and cooks quickly, will work."

Miso Broth with Greens
Very Slightly Adapted from Nigel Slater via The Guardian
(Serves 4) 

water--1 litre (about1 quart)
yellow miso paste--4 Tbsp
green chilli--1, hot
spring onions--2
mint--a handful
lemon grass--3 stalksginger--1 Tbsp or to taste
lime leaves--6
greens, such as bok choi--4 handfuls (I used baby bok choi and choi sum)
(I added black and white sesame seeds to garnish)

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the miso paste until it has dissolved, then turn down to a simmer. 

Put the chilli, spring onions, mint and the inner leaves of the lemon grass into a food processor with the ginger and blitz to a smooth paste. Stir the spice paste into the simmering broth, scrunch the lime leaves and add them, and cook for a few minutes. 

Blanch the greens, then add to the soup and serve.

Notes/Results: This is another great summer soup because it is quick to make, light and delicious. I really like the lemongrass paste that Nigel adds to the soup base and it is what sets this apart from most miso soups--the lemongrass, chilli, mint and ginger add so much fresh flavor. I used baby bok choi and choi sum in my soup but you can add whatever greens or veggies you have on hand. You could also add tofu or another cooked protein (like shrimp or chicken) to this soup to make it more of a meal. This soup hit the spot on a very blustery day with Tropical Storm Darby on the horizon, I will make it again.  

I will be linking this post up to I Heart Cooking Clubs where this coming week is Potluck--our chance to make any recipe by our current featured chef Curtis Stone, or any previous chef like Nigel Slater. 

(Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

Here's the roundup of what was shared this past week:

My fellow Hawaii blogger, Claudia of Honey From Rock shared Curtis Stone's Quick and Easy Chilled Gazpacho saying, "The weather, being so muggy and hot, has been inspiring me to more salads and less cooking.  A Gazpacho sounded quite cool and refreshing, and it was, it is!"

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brings a Grilled Avocado BLT Sandwich and says, "For this week I want to share a simple throw together grilled sandwich. It’s avocado, tomato, bacon and cheese grilled and melty. When it’s a few days before payday and you don’t want to hit savings, look in your fridge and pantry and see what you can put together."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shares her Easy Summer Salad, saying, "I had company last night, and I made this amazing summer salad! I used most of the veggies that I received from my CSA this week:  tomatoes, cucumbers, fennel, cabbage, celery, red onion, fresh basil, fresh mint, plus I added some sliced black olives and thick slices of avocado sprinkled with cumin. The salad was pretty to look at and absolutely delicious to eat."

 
Thanks to everyone who linked up last week!

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

 
Have a happy, healthy week!