Vegetable Noodle Soup Bowl

This is a very tasty, easy and healthy recipe that is also perfect for the weather we are having - which has been rather cold and rainy...  I have to thank my brother for this idea since he sent me pictures of the gluten-free noodles he used and inspired me to give this a shot by sending me his recipe as well.
The 'Lotus Food' brand organic millet brown rice noodles are available at Costco but really any rice noodles or thin Somen noodles will work just fine in this recipe.



As for the vegetable broth, I used the vegetarian better than bouillon paste mixed with water but one could also use store bought broth or use home made as well.



VEGETABLE NOODLE SOUP BOWL

Ingredients:

Soup Base

Vegetable Broth - 8 cups 

Ginger - half inch piece, crushed or minced

Garlic - 3 cloves, crushed or minced

Ground red chilli paste - half to 1 tbsp

Soy sauce - half tsp 

Coriander leaves / Stems - 2 to 3 tbsp, chopped 
Cinnamon Stick - 1 (optional)
Star Anise - 1  (optional)

Ground Black pepper/Salt - to taste (since the stock and sauces have a lot of salt, taste before adding more salt)

Stir Fried Vegetables

5 to 6 cups of vegetables - I used a combination of carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom, bell pepper, spinach, edamame (or you can use frozen stir fried vegetables and save some chopping time in the process)

Soy sauce - 1 tsp

Sriracha - 2 to 3 tsp  (Red Chilly sauce)

Ground Black pepper - to taste

Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp.

Noodles (Rice or thin Somen) 

Follow package directions to prepare noodles - about half cup per person should be good. 

Drain and keep aside. If you wish for additional spice, you could toss this with some soy sauce and sriracha (but this is entirely optional)

Garnish: (optional) 

Fried Onions, Spring Onions chopped or Coriander leaves

Method:

For the soup -  In a deep pot, combine broth, ginger, garlic, red chilli paste, soy sauce, spices if using and bring to a boil.  Simmer on low-medium for about 10 -15 minutes. Add black pepper and salt to taste and sprinkle the chopped coriander. Cover and let the flavors mingle for about 5-10 minutes. 

For the vegetables: Heat a wok on medium high, add the sesame oil and toss in the vegetables. Saute for 5 to 6 mins, add the soy sauce, Sriracha and black pepper and continue to cook till crisp-tender.  If you have mushrooms, you will want to slice and saute in a tsp of oil separately with some salt and pepper. 

To Assemble: In a bowl, add a serving of cooked noodles, top with the stir fried vegetables, and pour in the soup till the noodles and veggies are covered. Sprinkle with fried onions and chopped spring onions or coriander leaves. Dig in!