super quick miso, pak choi and beef noodle soup

A recipe for one of my favourite things - noodle soup!!!!  I don't mind what country it originates from or what flavourings are in it;  and whether it's like my Gran's Polish chicken noodle soup or a spicy Asian influenced broth - as long as noodles are involved I am happy! 

This soup is of the Asian inspired variety and is based on what I had in the house - some lovely fresh miso paste, pak choi and leftover roast beef.  You can of course omit the beef completely if you would like or substitute it for pork, chicken, tofu or more vegetables.  I have not over complicated this recipe with lots of herbs and spices and the result is a nice clean tasting broth made from a simple stock flavoured with ginger and garlic.  The miso is stirred in just before serving as it should not be boiled as this destroys its nutritional value.

I finished the dish with some dried chilli flakes, soy sauce and fresh lime, but a big dollop of my hot and sweet chilli, garlic and ginger jam would also not go a miss..........but then again I would say that as it ends up on most of my meals!

I hope you enjoy!

preparation time:  5 minutes

cooking time:  5-10 minutes

serves 3-4 people

ingredients:

• 250g noodles (I used egg noodles but most noodles would work, e.g rice noodles, udon noodles etc)
• 2 litres vegetable/chicken stock (fresh or from stock cubes)
• 3 pak choi - leaves washed and separated (or your choice of green vegetable, you could use greens, cabbage, broccoli etc)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 4-5 thin slices of ginger
• 5-6 mushrooms sliced  (I used chestnut but any would work) 
• 250g roast beef (or substitute for leftover cooked chicken, pork, tofu or more vegetables)
• 3 tbs miso paste 

optional toppings:

• fresh lime
• chilli flakes
• soy sauce
• fresh coriander
• fresh mint
• sesame seeds

• add stock to a large saucepan and then add ginger, garlic and sliced mushrooms and bring to the boil for about 3-5 minutes.

• add the noodles, sliced cooked roast beef, pak choi leaves and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes until the beef and noodles are cooked through.

• take off the heat and stir in the miso paste.

• serve in bowls with your choice of topping - I added freshly squeezed lime juice, dried chilli flakes and a dash of soy sauce.  

This only took me 15 minutes from start to finish - really quick, easy and delicious.  Also a tasty way to use up leftover roast meat.  Let me know how you get on and what you add to your noodle soup :) 

how to make my ultimate hot and sweet chilli garlic and ginger jam

 

I am slightly addicted to chilli and eat it on as many foods as possible. This is a spicy and sweet chilli jam with garlic and ginger. I think it has a bit of a spicy kick but it is not mouth burning, and you can still taste all the individual flavours. You can make it less hot by deseeding or using a milder chilli. I hope you enjoy. This makes a great gift - especially good for the Christmas/holiday season :) I love this sauce on noodles or rice dishes - but it's also great in a cheese sandwich! It's also good to add into pasta sauces or stews while cooking to add a little chilli hit to your recipes.

ingredients:

225g chilli peppers (I used small green Thai/finger chillies but any would work - you can de-seed them if you want but I did not as wanted the extra heat)

400g red/bell pepper - cleaned, deseeded and roughly chopped

600g onion - chopped

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1.5kg sugar

750ml white/red wine vinegar (cider vinegar is also good)

50g ginger

1 head garlic - cloves peeled

1 tbs sea salt

preparation time: 20 minutes

cooking time: 45-60 minutes (depending on pan size/heat)

• clean your peppers and chillies well and de-stalk the chillies - you may want to wear rubber gloves while doing this to protect your hands - and remember don't touch any sensitive body parts after handling chillies!!!!!!
• add the cleaned and prepared chillies, peppers, onions, garlic and ginger to a large pan with the vinegar and salt and blend with a hand blender (or in an electric blender before putting in the pan if you don't have one) until well mixed together - keep your eyes out of the way as any splashes would be very painful!
• add the cleaned and prepared chillies, peppers, onions, garlic and ginger to a large pan with the vinegar and salt and blend with a hand blender (or in an electric blender before putting in the pan if you don't have one) until well mixed together - keep your eyes out of the way as any splashes would be very painful!

• add the sugar, stir with a wooden spoon and bring to a rolling boil for about 45-60 minutes until thickened and the wooden spoon leaves a trail when stirred in the bottom on the pan

• skim off any 'scum' that rises to the surface.

• while the jam is boiling away sterilize your jars (when you have about 30 minutes to go). You will need enough jars for about 1500 -1750ml of finished product. (I used a combination of 1/2 litre kilner jars and small preserving jars with lids)
• you can use your preferred method of sterilization but what I did was cleaned jars and lids well in very hot soapy water, rinsed in clean, hot running water, then put on baking trays in an oven preheated to 180C for 25-30 minutes.
• when the jars are sterilized and the jam is cooked, carefully add the jam to the prepared jars - remember you must add hot jam to the hot jars - otherwise the end product will not be sterilized and also the jars may crack. Seal the jars immediately and leave to cool before storing in a cool, dark place.

• the jam is ready to eat the next day but will also keep for at least 1 month unopened. Once opened store in the fridge.
• I hope you enjoy - let me know how you get on......

http://www.punkdomestics.com/content/hot-and-sweet-chilli-garlic-and-ginger-jam

I am also entering this recipe onto: Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti to go with their BBQ and BBQ sides theme.