If you're looking for something to cook tonight, why not try this tasty soup dish with a difference from Louise Parker...
Don’t be deterred by the ingredient list: this is a quickie to make and when you’ve cooked it once, you’ll be in the groove and your cupboards stocked. It’s much simpler than it looks.
MISO, GINGER AND EDAMAME SOUP
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 & 1/2 tablespoon of groundnut oil
200g (2 & 2/3 cups) shiitake mushrooms, chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced lengthways, white parts only
2 carrots, halved, finely sliced lengthways
1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
400g (14oz) firm tofu, cubed
1 tablespoon good-quality miso paste
1–1.5 litres (4–6 cups) hot water
120g (1 cup) frozen edamame beans
A little fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
200g (about 1 head) pak choi, finely sliced
200g (2 cups) beanspouts
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
Black sesame seeds, to serve
Leaves from 1 bunch of coriander or flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
METHOD
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the groundnut oil in a nonstick saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and white bits of the spring onions and fry until the mushrooms are nearly dry.
3. Now add the carrots and yellow pepper and saut. for 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Blot the tofu dry with kitchen paper. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan and brown the tofu gently, turning to colour it on all sides.
5. Mix the miso paste into 1 litre (4 cups) of the hot water, then pour it into the pan.
6. Throw in the edamame beans and simmer for a minute before adding the ginger, pak choi, beansprouts and sesame oil, as well as the mushroom mixture.
7. Taste, adding the soy sauce if needed and the remaining water if you prefer a milder taste.
8. Serve sprinkled with the sesame seeds and herbs.
Recipe taken from The Louise Parker Method: Lean for Life: The Cookbook by Louise Parker. Published by Mitchell Beazley, £20.00 (www.octopusbooks.co.uk)