Another secret to good soups besides broths or meat stocks is the use of spices. Turmeric, coriander, and miso give this simple soup full flavor even when you use water instead of broth. I always keep onions, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes along with Miso Master Chick Pea miso on hand so that I have lots of options when I am using up leftovers. Also, you’ll have more options if you keep frozen vegetables in your freezer; I had a lot of green beans from the garden last year so I froze quite a few bags. All that said, it was the leftover rice that inspired this recipe!
Serves 2
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. ghee
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne, optional
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots (will cook faster when finely chopped)
3/4 cup frozen green beans (or frozen green peas if you prefer)
2 cups cooked organic brown basmati rice
2 Tbsp. Miso Master Chick Pea miso (available in health food stores in the refrigerated section)
salt to taste
Melt the ghee in a soup pot. Add the onions and stir over medium heat until softened–a few minutes. Add the spices and stir some more. Pour in the water or stock and add the carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook until carrots are tender–5 minutes or so. Add the green beans and bring to a simmer again heating the mix thoroughly. Now add the cooked rice and heat the soup until it simmers. Place the miso in a soup bowl and add 1/4 cup water mixing with a fork until the miso dissolves. Add the miso mix to the soup pot and stir well, taste and add salt if desired. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Remember not to heat the soup further if you want the full benefit of the miso–as a fermented food, it contains live cultures.
