Soups & stews
Shiitake and lemongrass noodle broth
This nourishing, aromatic noodle broth calls for quite a few ingredients but can be put together in moments. Use the lower, softer yellow part of the lemongrass stalk in this recipe. Shiitake mushrooms have a lovely slightly nutty flavour, but if you can't get hold of them, use ordinary mushrooms instead. The mushrooms give a full, meaty texture to this broth, but if you have any cooked chicken you could shred that and add it as well.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
- 2 large or 4 small shallots, finely sliced
- 4-5cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks, outer 1-2 leaves removed and tough upper green stalk discarded, lower yellow stalk finely sliced
- 2 medium-hot chillies, thinly sliced into rounds and seeds discarded
- 800ml veg stock
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 150g shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, more to taste
- juice of 1 large lime, to taste
- 150g rice noodles
- 4 spring onions, sliced into thin rounds
- handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Method
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Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots, ginger and garlic and fry on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes.
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Step 2
Add the lemongrass and chillies and fry for another minute.
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Step 3
Stir in the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
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Step 4
Add the pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and lime juice to taste.
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Step 5
While the broth is simmering, cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and divide between 4 bowls.
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Step 6
Pour the broth over the noodles and sprinkle with spring onions and herbs to serve.
