Chilli miso soup
Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 6:42PM A bowlful of clarity when the world feels as clear as mud
Soothing
Healing
Alive
This is what I turn to when either my mind or tummy feels overloaded and overwhelmed. In my teens and twenties, these mental and physical states often went hand in hand. When life’s little commotions were more than I could handle, I would have a biscuit or two dozen to calm my nerves. In the midst of too much, my instinct, correctly, was to slow things down. But unaware that it was stuff ‘out there,’ or at least my perception of it, that needed steadied, perhaps altered, I immobilised myself. Literally weighting myself down with an overload of sugary, fatty, un-homemade foods normally designated ‘off limits’.
Overeating provided temporary diversion and relief from a discombobulating muddle of circumstance, thought and emotion. First I was busy nibbling, munching, chomping, gorging, briefly but comfortably numb (minutes to a couple of hours). Then I was busy focusing upon my very full, extremely uncomfortable tummy, at this point usually able to do nothing more than prostrate myself across my bed (many more hours). Finally, I was very busy going to the gym trying to work off all those extra calories so nobody would know what I’d been up to (days)! All very effective distractions from the perplexing predicament I really needed to try and make sense of.
I eventually learned to tune in to my emotions as a barometer for the ‘wellness’ of my outlook, behaviours and life situation. Feeling good; all is well. Not feeling so good; time to modify perceptions, actions and maybe some of life’s features. The more I listened, the better I became at picking up small disturbances and so was able to fine tune the ‘in here’ and ‘out there’ before reaching minor meltdown. Now, when I notice those first glitchy signals, I know it’s time to create some quiet and tune inwards. To pause, take a deep calming breath, hunker down into myself, poke through the untidiness and find whatever it is that I need to take note of. After turning it over a few times, picking it apart, peering inside and then chucking away what I don’t need, I am ready to face the world again. Soothed and serene with a renewed sense of understanding and streamlined purpose.
For me, the pared down simplicity of miso soup draws a line under figurative and literal clutter. Preparing and eating it is cleansing and focusing, like a clearing of the decks, flushing away the extraneous to start afresh. The miso calms and restores, the vegetables energise and the chilli fires me into action. I like the pretty, stippled effect of the miso hanging suspended in the broth. Little powerhouses of algae-like goodness bobbing and drifting around the bowl, a visual reminder of its living status.
The chilli is an addition I’ve been making since returning from a trip to Japan a few years ago with a haul of Lee Kum Kee's Toban Djan, a hot and spicy Sichuan sauce made from chillies, fermented broad beans and soybeans (i.e. broad bean and soybean misos), garlic and spices. Sold as Chilli Bean Sauce in English, you should be able to find it in your local Asian food store.
Toban Djan, a spicy Sichuan sauce made from chilli and fermented broad beans
This soup bears all the hallmarks of my most frequently eaten dishes: reduced to a bare concept with only one or two essential ingredients, the rest varying dependent upon my mood, the seasons and what’s immediately to hand. In this case, the only necessities are miso, water, and at least two kinds of vegetable. Even the herbs are optional.
Ingredients (per person)
20g/1 heaped tablespoon of brown or red miso
20g/1 heaped tablespoon of Toban Djan (Chinese chilli bean paste)
500ml water
Around 100g of vegetables:
- something oniony, e.g. onion, spring onion, garlic scapes or even lots of chives
- something green, e.g. spinach, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, peas
- something to add colour contrast, e.g. carrot; some velvety smooth squash or pumpkin; sweet potato; red, orange or yellow pepper; yellow courgette; cauliflower or parsnip.
A small handful of chopped herbs. Coriander is the obvious one but I’ve also used mint without thinking it tasted strange. Have often thought Thai purple basil would be great but unfortunately it’s not readily available around my bit. Or lemon verbena...?
You get the picture. The possibilities are endless. Do what you like, picking types of miso, vegetables and herbs that work well together. Experiment and personalise to make your very own healthful and healing brew!
Method
Prepare the vegetables, slicing, dicing or leaving smaller items whole, whatever appeals to your own eye. To minimise cooking, I tend to cut most into very fine slices, usually on the diagonal (except onions which get straight treatment) because that looks good to me. Cauliflower and broccoli are broken into small florets and the stems sliced. Spinach and peas go in whole. Pumpkin and squash get diced into bite-sized chunks. Spring onions are shredded into a heap of fuzzy threads. Oh, and carrots get the thin diagonal treatment so they cook through in a minute or less. If I wanted to be very fancy and Japanese about it, I’d make paper-thin carrot flowers (see the Chef Man video below for a demo). But I don’t because, although they’d look very lovely, I’m usually in functional mode when I make this.
Put the miso and Toban Djan in a small bowl and mix to a soft, pourable paste with a few tablespoons of the water. If you’re using onions or any hard vegetables, like pumpkin for example, add them to the rest of the cold water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft and the dice just tender. The exact time will be dependent upon the size of your dice and denseness of the vegetable.
Add the remaining vegetables and leave on the heat until they’re cooked through but still crisp. I literally blanch them for 30 seconds to one minute. If some are more delicate, like spinach say, throw them in for a few seconds at the end. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the miso and chilli paste. Check the flavouring, adding more water if it’s too strong and more miso and Toban Djan if too weak. Ladle the broth into a bowl, top with a fuzz of spring onion and a scatter of herbs. Admire, stir through, inhale deeply and enjoy!
White miso can’t stand up to the Toban Djan. If using it, double up the amount, omit the chilli bean sauce adding freshly chopped chilli if you’d still like some heat. White miso goes beautifully with butternut squash, and I’ve always thought both would work well with Thai basil... and perhaps some podded peas and spring onion... Let me know how they work if you get there before me!
Check out how to make more, very beautiful carrot flowers in this Flickr sequence. (Isn't Chef Man in the YouTube clip funny? I love it that he loves his carrot flowers so much.)
Toban Djan, chilli, chilli miso soup, miso, miso soup, soup in recipes
Reader Comments (7)
Hi Sonn,
I would ask lee kum kee or one of his(her?) minions which sauce you have:
http://www.lkk.com/
Hope you are well, fun site :)
Cam
Hello there, yes, my dear, i have read about your miso soup article. I really like it. More in there about the warmth of food and its calming effects. I still think that to make it a really yummy article, as yummy as your soup, you could add a particular situation which made you wanna stuff yourself with biccies, whether its work or relationship-related, some people will identify more closely with it i'm sure. THey already will. I just think that whatever made/makes you wanna stuff that moo with sweet candy or cake will also be the same reason another woman wishes to galvanise her emotional soul shadow with sweet and tasty bites. You have plenty life experience.
Somehow, i could see the kind of thoughts you might be thinking as you lay prostrate on the bed for a few more hours. The thoughts or circumstance that preceded it would make the reader eat his/her fill of soul food, me thinks. Just a suggestion.
Otherwise, love it, in partic bit about miso particle bobbing in soup. You described it far better than that. GIve us a love song or a work quandary and its complete. Alternatively, call me an arroganza to suppose it could be better!!!
Much love,
Feeonnar
Hi Sonnda again, i'm on a role now. I know why i liked your arroz recipe/article the most. I think its less about the fact that it is a story with me in it, more because it includes a story. That's why i suggest you add in a juicy bit of emotional trial which led to the taste bud craving. It'll make it fleshy or for me it will.
I feel i could make a living out of this, reading and commenting on articles; at the same time, writing my own stories/blog and responding to peoples comments about them. Jolly good fun!!
xxx
Love the story about the mis soup . Gd pics. Mouth-watering soup with all nice things bobbing in the sea of miso. Can I come round to yours for a taste somtime. This is no doubt rather unconventional but exciting to meet the lady who has a gift with words and a most imaginative way of putting things across.
Darryl Hannah.-USA.
Definately no kimuchee.It`s cabbage and fermented and really not that hot.
This stuff is bean paste with red chilli powder only and maybe some garlic. Used in Sichuan cooking, especially in the famous tofu/meat/ aubergine dish. And nothing to do with Korea whatsoever, the Lee on the importers is probably chinese/ taiwanese and the rest of the Label is in Japanese and says To Ban Jian.
Yummy stuff
miss you sweetie
Thanks for solving the Lee Kum Kee puzzle Dave! Chilli flavoured miso from China... am gonna have to do a wee update AND change the recipe name aren't I?! You've got my mouth watering with mention of that Sichuan dish, which have never heard of or tried...
Miss you too, stripy troosers and all Xxx
Also when trying to work out if something is Korean, they don`t use chinese characters!!!the taiwanese, HK and Japan do. The koreans use sticks and circles(hangul). SO when at your local chinese supermarket at least you have some idea of origin.