LEMONGRASS COCONUT NOODLE SOUP

Vegan Spicy Coconut Noodle Soup

A Beautiful Marriage between Vietnam's Pho and Thailand's Tom Kha

Though the weather is warming up in London, I still love a spicy noodle soup. After all, nothing beats slurping a laksa noodle soup in the sweltering Malaysian heat. This Cambodian-style noodle soup is a gorgeous addition to my repertoire of delicious, warming, spicy noodle soups thanks to the folks at Green Kitchen Stories! It is simply divine and perfect for a light dinner. With my busy working life, fitting everything in can be quite challenging. Unless I go to yoga at 7am before work, I go to yoga at 7pm meaning that I often only get home at 9pm making it very late for dinner. I often make a huge batch of this early in the week for a few subsequent post-yoga late dinners. I can't tell you what a nourishing and delicious meal this is after a workout.

Aside from its beautiful aroma and taste, lemongrass is also a powerful medicinal herb known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. It is packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants that can prevent damage to cells. One flavonoid in lemongrass called luteolin has such strong anti-inflammatory abilities that it may be able to treat some symptoms of multiple sclerosis, as well as lung infections or acute lung injury. Cool stuff! Lemongrass just got even cooler. And of course, our good old friend the coconut provides an abundance of heart-healthy fats and skin-invigorating minerals. So eat and drink your way to an even more beautiful and healthier you with this delicious noodle soup!

Lemongrass and Coconut Noodle Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 litre / 4 cups of vegetable broth
3 stalks of lemongrass
3 cloves garlic, peeled
5 cm / 2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 small green chilli
1 tb honey
1 tsp sea salt

1 can (usually 400 ml) full fat organic coconut milk

handful of tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli, sliced

handful of mushrooms (ideally shiitake or oyster), sliced

brown rice or buckwheat (soba) noodles for 2 people

To serve:
lime wedges
1 handful mung bean sprouts (100 g)
1 handful coriander/cilantro or thai basil and/or fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Heat your vegetable broth in a large pot (ideally make your own, otherwise use an organic vegetable stock cube with freshly filtered water).

2. Finely chop lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chili. If you have a pestle and mortar, pound the mixture to release the aromas of the spices.

3. Pour the spice mixture into the boiling vegetable broth, add the honey and salt and let simmer on medium heat with a lid on for 30 minutes.

4. Strain the broth with a colander to remove the spices. Add broccoli and mushrooms and allow them to blanch in boiling broth.

5. Add the full can of coconut milk and let simmer for a few minutes on low heat.

6. Cook noodles in a separate pot, according to the instructions on the package. Drain and divide the noodles equally into 2 bowls. Cover with broth and add a squeeze of lime and garnish with fresh coriander / thai basil / mint and black sesame seeds (if you have them).