Credit: BAO
Strong Women
Kelp soup noodles with aubergine tempura is your new go-to comfort food
By Lisa Bowman
2 years ago
4 min read
Many of us turn to broth when we’re feeling peaky, but have you ever tried it with seaweed? It’s nutrient-dense, naturally tasty and perfect for veggies and vegans.
This seaweed soup is a fantastic recipe to have in your arsenal for when you’re starting to feel under the weather. Not only is it super-hydrating and rich in umami flavour, but it’s packed with nutrients to help your body feel better.
Seaweed, such as kombu, dulse and wakame, is high in iodine, an essential mineral that aids healthy thyroid function, as well as iron to keep you energised. Kombu and dulse also contain a good amount vitamin C, which will help strengthen your immune system.
Shiitake mushrooms are a great addition – whether you’re feeling ill or not – thanks to the fact that they’re a fantastic source of B vitamins, which will give you a boost of energy. They also contain loads of polysaccharides to boost your immune system and ward off any unhelpful inflammation.
If this soup tickles your fancy, make sure your store cupboard is stocked up with the ingredients, some of which you may need to source from specialist shops.
Credit: BAO
Ingredients
Serves: 4
For the kombu stock (broth), makes 1.2 litres:
12g kombu
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1.1 litres filtered water
55ml light soy sauce
55ml whole bean soy sauce
40ml mirin
1 star anise
1cm (½ inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
For the ribbon seaweeds:
20g fresh dulse, washed (if you can’t get hold of any, using wakame only is fine)
1 teaspoon dried wakame
For the aubergine tempura:
1 aubergine, cut into 12 half-moon pieces 1.5cm (¾ inch) thick
140g cornflour
120g plain flour
330ml Taiwan Beer (or light lager)
400ml rapeseed oil, plus extra for deep-frying
Salt
To serve:
1 quantity (400g) plain wheat noodles
Few pinches of toasted white sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sesame oil
8 teaspoons finely diced celery
Method
Kombu stock (broth):
1. Put the kombu and mushrooms into a saucepan, add the filtered water and leave to soak for 2–3 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and bring to a very gentle simmer for 10 minutes, making sure not to let the water come to the boil.
3. Remove from the heat, remove only the star anise and leave to cool. It’s important not to boil kombu or it releases bitterness. If you have time, chill the broth overnight. When ready to serve, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into another saucepan and heat gently over a low heat.
Ribbon seaweeds:
1. If using fresh dulse, it’s important to wash it thoroughly as it comes with salt on it. After washing, cut the dulse into 10cm (4 inch) ribbons and discard the stems from the dulse. Place into a large bowl, cover with cold water and leave until serving.
2. In a separate bowl, soak the dried wakame in cold water for 5 minutes. When you are ready to serve, drain both and add the dulse and wakame to the heated broth.
3. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2 and place 4 bowls in the oven to warm.
Aubergine tempura:
1. Season the aubergine pieces with salt and set aside.
2. Mix together the cornflour and flour in a large bowl, then whisk in the beer. Add the oil, whisking constantly, until a smooth batter forms.
3. Dip the aubergine pieces into the batter, making sure they are fully covered.
4. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of ginger sizzles and browns in 10 seconds.
5. Working in batches, carefully place the aubergine pieces in the hot oil and deep-fry for 2 minutes until crisp and golden, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
To assemble:
1. Gently heat up the kombu stock over low heat with the dulse and wakame seaweed for 5 minutes, keep it on a low heat while preparing your noodles.
2. Cook the noodles in two batches. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and place half of the noodles in, giving them a stir with chopsticks to separate the strands.
3. Once the water comes to boil again, cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds.
4. Drain and immediately divide into 2 bowls by picking up half of the noodles with a pair of chopsticks. Gently lay the ends of the strands into the bowl and fold them over so the noodles are all uniformly sitting snug next to each other. Repeat for the second batch of noodles.
5. Decorate the outer edge with the ribbon seaweeds. Pour over the hot kombu broth. Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted white sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon sesame oil and 2 teaspoons diced celery then gently place 3 pieces of aubergine tempura in the middle of each bowl.
Recipe taken from BAO by Erchen Chang, Shing Tat Chung and Wai Ting Chung (Phaidon, £29.95), out now.
Image: BAO; courtesy of Phaidon
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