Soul soup – gingery broccoli, pea and miso soup

This one is from one of our retreat chefs, Marc Pasternack, it’s very simple to make and is both gluten and dairy free.

It’s a delicious bowl of wholesomeness. The garnishes make the bowl look good and make it quite flexible; it can be hearty, comforting or fiery (depending on which of the garnishes you choose to add to your bowl)

Enjoy!

Serves 4
Ingredients

•  3 cups frozen peas (plus a small handful to garnish. Pop them in a cup with water to thaw out at the start and then drain and keep for later)
•  500gm broccoli (approx 1 large or 2 small heads) cut into florets
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 40-50 gm fresh ginger (about 2 big thumbs’ worth), peeled and make a few thin batons for garnish. The rest gets finely chopped
• 3 tbsp miso paste (I like brown rice miso) – adjust depending on how strong you want the miso flavour
• 4-6 mugs of boiling water (start with 4 and add more late to get the desired consistency)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or a good couple of glugs of any vegetable oil)
• salt & pepper to taste
•  garnish with any or all of the following:
•  toasted seeds (I usually have these made up and stored in jars). In this version, I’ve used pumpkin, sunflower and black sesame (but you could use pretty much any seeds or nuts)
•  fresh sliced chillis or dried chilli flakes
•  either a dollop of coconut cream or coconut or other plant based yoghurt or ‘creme faiche’

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute over a medium heat for a couple of minutes before adding the ginger and garlic. Continue cooking for several minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent, without going brown or burning.
   
2. Add in the broccoli florets and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Pour in 4 cups of hot water and add in the 3 cups of frozen peas. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes.
   
4. Add in the miso paste and stir until the miso paste has dissolved into the water. Continue to simmer away, covered, for a further 5 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
   
5. Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool a little (to allow safer and easier handling). Then, use a stick/immersion blender to blend in the saucepan, or transfer the soup to a regular blender jug to process until smooth. You can add 1-2 additional cups of hot water to thin out the soup to your desired consistency. Check for taste.
   
6. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Warm gently in a saucepan to get it piping hot again before serving. Then garnish to add extra pockets of taste and texture.
   

Marc Pasternack is a private and retreat chef and co-founder of Fork&Bindi.

You can enjoy a whole weekend of heavenly vegetarian food at Poundon House in Oxfordshire on 15 – 17 March

His partner Jaya Jaks will be teaching the yoga.

Categorised in: Food & recipes, Health & wellness