Get Your Chopsticks Out! Part I

Hellooo... Anybody there? Just checking, with the Memorial
Day long weekend and all. I've been promising this post for a while now so at least, y'all get to read it when you get back... ;-)

Mmmmmm... Asian cuisine. Just the thing for this change of season. It's light and quick to prepare, and with the gorgeous array of colors, a pleasure for the eyes as well. Effortless artwork!

We've really been enjoying our share of delicious Asian meals lately; ever since rediscovering sprouted mung beans and falling in love with them all over again. So much so that I've been coming up with a different variation of 'Chop Suey' nearly every week. I thought to myself: "This is getting ridiculous! I better start posting some of these recipes or I won't be able to keep up with the backlog!"

Eni Mini Myni Miso
Miso Soup; a masterpiece of tastefulness and simplicity. Well, the traditional one anyways. (Wait 'til you see our 'Anything Goes' version! It's got pretty much everything but the kitchen sink in it! lol) Here are several raw renditions of miso soup that may lack in authenticity, but certainly not in deliciousness. Hummmm, decisions, decisions. Which one are you gonna make first?

Simple Miso Soup
Water
Garlic, minced
Ginger, grated
Seaweed: piece of kombu and small handful of wakame
Miso
A few shitake mushrooms, sliced
Baby bok choi, sliced
Green onion. sliced
Red pepper, cubed

Warm up the water, seaweed, garlic and ginger on the stove for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Spread about 1 tbs of miso of your choice along the inside of a bowl. Add a little warm water and stir so as to dissolve the miso .

Add the veggies and pour more warm water on top. Enjoy!


Don and I recently had this excellent soup from Woody Harrelson's site. Intense with just a touch of sweetness.

Creamy Miso Soup
Posted by Woody Harrelson

A savory, sweet creamy miso soup to make all miso soup blush. This soup also makes a great dipping sauce for sushi rolls.

1 medium avocado
2 Roma tomatoes, or 1 nice tomato cut in half, seeds removed
2 cups coconut water or 1 cup fresh OJ + 1 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons red miso (If only 1 type of miso is available: use all 4 tablespoons white miso total or only 3 tablespoons red miso total.)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup water, or as necessary to thin
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 cup green onion, outer skin removed, finely sliced
4 tsp hulled hemp seed or sesame seeds

Cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds. In a blender or food processor:

Blend avocado, tomato, coconut water or OJ + water, lemon juice, miso, garlic and ginger until smooth. Add 1/2 cup or more fresh water as necessary to thin the soup to desired consistency. I like it to be thick. Add chopped parsley and blend for several pulses until mixed in. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and hemp seeds or sesame. Serve room temperature or gently warmed.

Serves 2-4

Carmella's Note: We used half the amount of miso called for and added some seaweed in our bowls.


This lovely photo is of a miso soup posted on A Raw Yogi Journal. If you aren't already familiar with her gem of a blog, you might want to browse around a little. You'll find an abundance of simple recipes accompanied with stunning photography.


'Anything Goes' Miso Soup
This recipe isn't fully raw but I thought I'd include it anyways. It used to be one of our major staples while on a high raw diet. A wonderful 'meal-in-a-soup' that totally hits the spot on a cold winter day.

Broth:
5 or 6 cups of water
Piece of kombu seaweed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 " piece of ginger root, finely grated

Veggies of choice: (We liked to put some of each. Like I said, a MEGA soup! lol)
1 - 2 cups broccoli stalk, chopped up and florets
1 - 2 cups cauliflower, chopped up
A couple of " of zucchini, chopped up
1 med. carrot, thinly sliced diagonally or grated
1 celery stalk, sliced diagonally
1 green onion, sliced diagonally
1 tomato, cubed
1/2 avocado, cubed
A little red or yellow pepper, cubed (opt)
2 tbs of miso (or more)
Handful fresh parsley and cilantro
A touch of lemon juice
2 sheets of nori

Start off by bringing the water to boil, along with the kombu, garlic and ginger. In the meantime, work on preparing the veggies.

Add broccoli and cauliflower to the boiling water and simmer just long enough to get the veggies tender.

Note: You might want to have everything ready before adding the veggies to the water, as you don't want these to overcook.

Then spread about 1 tbs of miso of your choice along the inside of a large bowl. Then add a little water and stir so as to dissolve the miso.

Fill your bowl with the fresh and lightly cooked veggies and top off with broth.

Break up pieces of nori, sprinkle with herbs and add a touch of lemon juice, if desired.

Serves 2


Swimming Noodles
There's a Thai Soup joint I used to go to where customers tackling their fare with a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other was a common sight. You might need to do the same with the next two soups. Makes it the more unusual and fun!


Asian Noodle Soup - Variation I

Broth:
3 cups almond milk
1/2 avocado
Garlic and ginger, chopped up
1 - 2 tablespoons of miso (depending on how salty you like it)

Noodles:
1 small carrot
1 small parsnip
1/2 small zucchini

Toppings:
1/4 cup yellow or red pepper, chopped
Green onion, chopped
Wakame or broken up nori (opt)

First, let's play a little and work on the noodles. Put the veggies through your spiralizing gadget of choice. (My personal favorite is Benriner Chef's Help.) Then put the spiralized veggies in slightly warm water while you work on the broth.

Next, blend broth ingredients in blender until smooth. Warm up gently on the stove, stirring constantly.

Put the noodles into serving bowls and pour broth over them.

Sprinkle toppings and serve.

Makes 2 servings


Asian Noodle Soup - Variation II

Broth:
2 cups nut milk
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1 cup tomato
1/2 avocado
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon of miso

Noodles:
Meat of 1 young Coconut

For serving:
1 green onion, finely chopped
Big handful of spinach, finely slivered
A little red pepper, chopped

We'll begin with the noodles. First thing is to crack that babe open. If you're not sure how, check this site for a demo complete with photos and even a video too! Then, with a big spoon, gently scrape the flesh out of one young coconut. The idea is to make strips as long as possible. Then with a sharp knife, cut into thin noodles. It's a little work but oh so yummy! Put these in warm water while working on the broth.

Blend broth ingredients until smooth. Gently warm up on the stove, stirring constantly.

Place noodles in bowls and top with broth.

Serve with slivered spinach, chopped green onions and red pepper. (Whatever happened to those red pepper cubes in the above photo? Ah well.... Must have sunk to the bottom! lol)

Serves 2

Carmella's Note:
If you haven't got some nut milk readily made, just use a couple of handfuls of nuts (almonds, cashews, macadamias, walnuts...), ground up and some water.

Both these soups could be enjoyed with noodles of your choice or none at all.


Let's end this Asian Soup Fest on a truly exotic note. (Can you tell I've got it for soups?) When we first tried this, we were astounded by the unique blend of spices. Epicurean delight indeed. Just a word of advice though, you might want to take it a little easy on the Chinese Spice! ;-)

Oriental Popeye Soup
(Sorry, I've misplaced the author of this recipe!)

7 cups of water
1 med. yellow onion (Cut long and thin)
2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms (More if you prefer)
1 bunch of Spinach (Chopped)
1/3 cup of Macadamia (Ground)
1 tbsp coconut oil (I use Natural Zing's Coconut oil yum!)
2 tbsp of Chinese Spice or more if you like (Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed and white pepper)
1 tbsp rubbed sage or more
1/2 tsp Garlic chips (If you like fresh go for it)
1 tbsp Fine Herbs (Parsley, Green onion, Chervil, Tarragon) or more
1.5 tbsp chili powder
2-3 tbsp of Tamari sauce
Sea salt to taste

Warm water to 116-118. Place all the ingredients in pan except Spinach.

Keep heat at 118 or below and stir well, then when the aromatic alchemy happens or 15 to 20 mins later which ever comes first, then put in the Spinach. Let it find its place among its brothers and sis's sit a bit and let it soften and then taste this raw Epicurean delight!


Sides Asian-Style
Guess Popeye's sea journeys have taken him all over the globe, eh? But let's move away from the soup department and have a look at a few side dishes.

Here is a lovely salad I've shared in a previous post, but that well deserves the extra attention:

Thai Salad
From "Eating without Heating" by the Boutenko kids

4 cucumbers
Juice of 1 1/2 lemon
1 bunch dill
1 bunch cilantro
1 medium onion diced
3 tsp hot curry powder
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 tbs honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup soaked sunflower seeds

Peel and slice the cucumbers into thin circles and transfer to a bowl. Next finely chop the cilantro and dill and mix with the cucumbers. Add the onion, lemon juice, and the olive oil. Finish by adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing well.

Makes 5-8 servings


Here's for you, mushroom lovers... We haven't had a chance to prepare this one just yet, but it sure sounds delish! Yet one more recipe to add to my ever-expanding 'to make' list!

Shitake Ginger Salad
Posted by livingfoodsmama on Raw Food Talk

About 1/4 lb. of Shitakes
1/4 lb. Criminis
1 medium red onion
1 Medium Cucumber diced small
2 inches cut up ginger
3 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. grated daikon
1 grated carrot
1/4 head chopped salad
1/2 C black sesame seeds

Dressing:
about 1/4 - 1/2 C Braggs
2 t of raw honey
1/4 C - 1/2 C olive oil
crushed red pepper
garlic powder
ginger powder

Mix and eat. Served 2 as a main course. Yum Yum


Looking to dress up your green salad while complementing your Asian meal? Anna of The Raw Table.com has a fabulous 'Orange Sesame Salad Dressing' on her site that will do that beautifully.

Don and I tried Bok Choi on a couple of occasions last summer. We weren't exactly sold on the taste though, finding it a little too strong to our liking. But that was before we discovered Baby Bok Choi and this lovely vinaigrette.


Marinated Bok Choy
From The Complete Book of Raw Food
Originally posted by Vanessa on Raw Food Talk

Bok Choi (I used Baby Bok Choi as it is milder in taste.)

Marinade:
1 lime juiced
1 lemon juiced
4-5 dates (medjool), pitted
1 T. ginger
3 T. nama shoyu
1/2 c. olive oil

Blend until completely smooth in a Vita Mix. Toss the bok choy with the marinade and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it gets creamy.


Ferment From The Orient
While I've been making sauerkraut this past winter, I have yet to try my hand at 'Kim Chi'; a Korean version of fermented veggies. Still, I thought I could at least point you in the right general direction in case you're tempted to experiment with a homemade version. You might want to have a look here, where Morningstar of RFT has shared several recipes from her days in Korea.

This next recipe was provided by Mike of The Raw Diet.com, where we got our Sauerkraut, Pickle and Kimchi Maker, and which I absolutely adore.

Hot and Spicy Kim Chee
From “Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine” by Gabriel Cousens

4 Cups green cabbage, shredded (save 3-4 outer leaves)
2 Cups Napa cabbage, shredded
2 Cups carrots, grated
1 Cup Daikon radishes, grated

Mix vegetables in a large bowl.

4 jalapeno chilies
2 Tablespoons ginger, grated
1 Tablespoon Miso, any type (I prefer the brand South River Miso) or use a teaspoon of probiotics, or use a previous batch of sauerkraut as a starter.

Blend Chilies, ginger, and miso with 2 Cups water and stir into mixed vegetables.

Spoon mixture into crock or gallon glass container. Pound mixture to release juices and remove all the air.

Top off (to cover cabbage) with a little water if mixture is dry. Cover with outer cabbage leaves to create a tight seal with edge of container. Set a plate on top of cabbage leaves and weight down with suitable-sized rocks (or other object). (The small lid in the Kraut jar takes the place of the heavy weight).

Leave Kim Chee in warm (60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit) place for 5 days. Do not uncover during this period.

After 5 days, remove covering, scraping away top layer of vegetables (do not be concerned if you see mold; remove top layer and the rest is still good).

Kim Chee will become acidic as it ferments, but it takes on a sweeter smell and flavor when it is ready to eat.


Well, I guess I'll stop here for now and catch a little breather.

I'll be back shortly with delicious and colorful Asian entrees 'in the Raw', so don't put away your chopsticks just yet....

*~*~*~*
Photo Credits:
Chopsticks by sparktography