Apologies for the lack of posts. Pace of life has notched past 11. Everything is happening at once, as it often seems to. Work reached a crescendo last week and I’ve been working into the nights. We’ve also got guests staying at the Hill. There’s extra curricular stuff happening in the background too – more on that later. And *saving the best for last* I have some exciting news to share… K and I went away last weekend to Burleigh, the place we met a year ago, to celebrate the day. And… got engaged! Woohoo! We are both very chuffed. From a sunrise trip to Currumbin Rocks for photos, to a late lunch of fish and chips and bubbles at the headland at Burleigh, where we made it official. Some pics below of the dreamy surf at sunrise on that momentous winter’s day.
So, where does this recipe fit in? Well, before we took off down the coast, I hit the farmers markets and found fresh shiitake mushrooms, which I’ve never seen before au naturale (ie not swaddled in plastic). Naturally I grabbed a big brown bagful. When it came time to cook these up, I hovered over the cracked and crazed burst patterns on their tops. And marvelled on their sweet, slightly alcoholic smell. Intriguing. I cooked this meal the night we arrived at Burleigh, after a long twilight beach walk. Both walk and broth were restorative. This felt like something I’d like to eat when I’m sick or run down. Celebrations aside, it hit the right note for the whirlwind week that was.
If you can’t find fresh shiitake, try dried – or double the quantity of swiss browns. I’m usually a clutz with silken tofu, but found it mostly retained its form by adding it to the broth at the last minute to heat through. For the broth, I used miso and dashi – the latter being a traditional Japanese ‘sea’ stock made with kombu (dried kelp) and bonito (fish) flakes. I love dashi – it’s easy to make, stores in the freezer and adds wonderful flavour to broths, hot pots and stirfries. And it’s not at all ‘fishy’. You can find the ingredients at Asian supermarkets. If you want to skip the dashi, try doubling the quantity of miso paste and add another cup of water.
160 grams soba noodles
6-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
6-8 swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
small pack of silken tofu (approx 250 grams)
2-3 sprouts of choy sum or other asian greens, cut into 4cm sections
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 big nub of ginger, finely sliced
1-2 small birdseye chillis, finely sliced
1 large tbspn white miso paste
2 cups water
1 cup dashi
few sprigs coriander, torn
dashi
8 cups water
1 10x10cm sheet kombu
1/2 cup loosely packed bonito flakes
Add dashi to 1 cup water, bring to boil and mix in miso paste until combined. Add mushrooms and shallots and simmer over a low heat for five minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, bring 1 cup water to boil, add soba noodles and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve. Add ginger, greens and tofu to the broth in the first pot and simmer until heated through. Refresh noodles under hot water, drain and place in bowls. Top with spoonfuls of the mushroom and tofu broth. Serve with fresh chilli and coriander.
Serves 2.
dashi
You get two goes at dashi – no surprise these are called ‘first’ and ‘second’ dashi. For first dashi, place the kombu in a saucepan and add 4 cups water. Soak for about 15 minutes, then place over a high heat. Immediately remove kombu (place aside) as it starts to boil, to avoid bitterness. Add bonito flakes and return to boil. Immediately turn off heat and rest for two minutes. Seive and reserve stock, placing bonito flakes aside. Place used kombu and bonito flakes in saucepan, add 4 cups water and bring to boil. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Seive and discard kombu and bonito flakes. Reserve stock. Use first dashi when fresh. It will store in the fridge for a couple of days, or in the freezer for months.
Mmmmm…mmmmm….ooohhhh! Yummm. But I think I’ll wait till you ‘chef’ it for us!