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Friday, December 26, 2008

Shitake and Soba Soup - a Holiday Detox

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soba shitake soup close up

I don't know about you, but I am feeling the need for some healthier, lighter food. I have been eating so much sweets, baked goods, pastries, chocolates, I actually cannot remember when was the last time I had a salad for lunch . It seems like the Holiday Season is a great excuse to eat anything you normally wouldn't on a daily basis... and not feel really guilty about it, after all, it is the Holiday Season....

So I decided to make something that didn't call for half a stick of butter, heavy cream or melted chocolate in the ingredient's list... I settled for this soup which is easy to make, satisfying (as most soups are) and the ingredients are most likely to be pantry/fridge staples, at least here at home. I really like Asian soups, they are so warming and healthy, and making them at home gives me the freedom to adapt to my vegetarian needs.

I used dried shitake mushrooms that I re-hydrated by soaking in warm water, but fresh ones would have been great too. This recipe makes enough for two people, or two bowls of soup.

soba shitake soup

Shitake and Soba Noodles Soup Recipe:

Adapted from here

What I used:

5 dried shitake mushrooms

soba noodles

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped (or shredded if you don't like the pieces on your soup)

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks (or shredded if it's easier for you)

1 green onion, sliced

Soak mushrooms in warm water for about 30 minutes. Remove stems and slice caps in half. Set aside.

Cook soba noodles according to the package directions and run under cold water. Set aside.

In a medium size pot, combine soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic and mushrooms. Add about 1 cup of water, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and cooked.

Place some noodles on the bottom of two soup bowls, pour half of the broth (make sure it is very hot). Top it with carrots and green onions.

scissors 1The stems from shitake mushrooms are very tough and can be hard to remove. Try using a pair of kitchen scissors to help you with the task.

Weekend_Wokking_Thumbnail

I am submitting this recipe to this month's Weekend Wokking hosted this month by Palachinka.

The round-up is January 4th and the secret ingredient is Mushrooms.

5 comments:

Marija said...

Thanks for entering this beauty for the WW!

Stunning photography!

test it comm said...

Simple and tasty!

Anonymous said...

Thanks guys!

Wandering Chopsticks said...

I definitely need some detox foods from holiday overindulgence. Thanks for another gorgeous entry to WW!

Anonymous said...

I love you blog! Very nice recipes and pics.

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