First, let me make it perfectly clear, I am not, I repeat not a Vegetarian, just in case you were the tiniest bit curious. I know this, because I just about ate a pound of smoked prime rib my husband smoked this past weekend!
Secondly, getting strep throat on Summer break, is something my daughter absolutely did not plan on doing during her vacation, but she did, so off to Urgent care we went!
While we are sitting in the waiting area, I brought this cookbook (affiliate link) Street Vegan
that I received to review for Blogging for Books (review soon to be posted). The story behind Ginger Laphing, is that it is a Tibetan soup that you find out on the busy streets prepared from street carts. With the soba noodles, bok choy and vegetable broth, this is a very nourishing soup, making it an absolutely delicious alternative to chicken noodle soup.We won't talk about the weather here in Arizona, because as you all know by now, it's hot, hot, hot, but it's a dry heat, right! You're probably thinking why is she making soup? It's a good thing I did too, and I will tell you why!
Perusing the recipes in the cookbook, this recipe surprisingly caught my eye, "Ginger Laphing", which reminded me of the Vitnamese noodle soup 'Pho' that my oldest daughter who does happen to be Vegetarian took me to a restaurant while I visited her up in Washington in February last year. She was suffering from a terrible head cold, and wanted a gigantic bowl of 'Pho'. Pho can be made vegetarian as well!
Unlike 'Pho', the recipe for 'Ginger Laphing' has the addition of potatoes, is vegetarian, as well as Gluten-Free friendly!
When I made this soup I made a few changes and found a trick that made eating hot, steamy soup on a Summer day quite enjoyable!
The recipe calls for Tamari, which my belief was it was just like Soy Sauce. Surprisingly, they are similar, but Tamari is wheat free making it safe to use if you have Gluten allergies. Since we don't I just used regular soy sauce. It also calls for roasted peanuts for garnish, my son has nut allergies, so I omitted those. For added protein, I did in fact add diced, cooked chicken to it. Here's the tip to making soup a pleasure to eat during the Summer.
While I was cooking the noodles, I refrigerated the potatoes. When the noodles were done, I took the cold potatoes and added them to the soup. The soup was still warm enough to enjoy, without being way too hot! It also made for a light meal, since none of us really feel like eating much in this heat!
What I really loved most about this soup are the flavors. You have the spiciness from the chili, the sweet tanginess from the vinegar, the saltiness from the soy sauce, along with the flavors of the ginger, and sesame oil, making a lovely rich broth.
Oh before I forget, I am not going to say this is better than my Mother's or my MIL's chicken noodle soup, because God knows, I will be struck down for blasphemy, since both women when they make homemade chicken noodle soup, make their noodles from scratch! I will admit, that this is definitely more satisfying and tastes better than good old store bought canned chicken noodle soup, and much better for you, because only god knows what chemicals are put into store bought canned soup!
Ginger Laphing (adapted from Street Vegan)
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 sliced green onions
4 tsp. minced and peeled fresh ginger
1 Serrano minced and seeded
2 garlic cloves minced
5 cups vegetable, chicken or beef broth
3 Tbls. soy sauce or tamari (GF)
2 Tbls. brown rice vinegar
1 bundle (2-3 oz) soba noodles
1 head of bok choy, leaves separated
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts (for garnish)
1. Place potatoes in a medium pot, covered with 4 cups of water and cooked for 7 minutes or until soft. Drain them in a colander.
2. Heat the sesame oil in same pot. Saute the sliced green onion, ginger, chile, and garlic in the hot oil, stirring. Once the garlic has softened, approximately 4 minutes, add tamari or soy sauce, the broth, and vinegar; bring to a boil.
3. Break the bundle of soba noodles in half and stir them in the broth. Cook for 2 minutes until the noodles are al dente. Stir in potatoes, and bok choy. Serve immediately.
Garnish with more sliced green onions and chopped roasted peanuts.
Hope you all have a great day!
Until next time!
xo Christine
Sharing this at these parties:
I bet this is just what the doctor ordered. Though I think I want a side of that smoked prime rib too!
ReplyDeleteOh my, have you been eating some wonderful foods lately! Sorry about the strep throat.
ReplyDeleteChristine, that looks so delicious! Going to have to give this recipe a try!!
ReplyDeleteYUM- this sounds right up my (and my husband's) alley!! Hurray for awesome posts on Snickerdoodle Sunday- thank you for swinging by this weekend!
ReplyDeleteSarah (Sadie Seasongoods)
Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe with us at Full Plate Thursday, hope to see you again real soon!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day,
Miz Helen
This looks great, and I love anything Asian inspired! Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteYour soup really does sound fantastic, Christine. I smiled when I read that you would be 'struck down for blasphemy' if you said it was better than your mother's or MIL's chicken noodle'! I think the flavours in your soup sound lovely - it's very wholesome and healing. Pinned and will tweet. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul hop community and I hope your daughter is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party. We appreciate it.
ReplyDelete