asian noodle soup for the soul (curry broth variation)

asian noodle soup is one of the few (or probably the only) thing i like to eat all the time. no matter what daytime, no matter what weather condition, noodle soup is my incessant love.

i must admit my noodle soups are pretty good. not much of a surprise, since i must have cooked over a hundred of them in my life so far (still counting). i really welcome variations in food, so my noodle soup is always inspired by impulse and the available offer.

in the past few years of my 'noodle soup fellowship' i've nevertheless developed a few classic recipes of my own. of course, the broth is the heart and center of each noodle soup. so there are some basics, that you will use for the broth. here's what i always use: sesame oil, onions, garlic cloves, chiles, ginger, lemongrass, vegetable bouillon (or alternatively a home-made vegetable broth, which i prefer), soy sauce (to add salt to the broth) and freshly squeezed limes.

this time i actually experimented with a curry broth as a basis (if you have ever cooked indian dishes, you'll probably have all the spices on stock already). i used ground cumin and cilantro seeds, heated it with ginger, onions, chiles, lemongrass and garlic, added a little curcuma and garam masala and simmered all of it with water for a few minutes. then i poured the spice-infused broth through a strainer. and then i had this yellowish, aromatic, spice-infused, complex curry-broth. quite a nice change from my broth-routine.

then i simply reheated the broth, and added everything else. for example i've discovered that boiling dried shiitakes in the broth gives it a lovely asian taste. it's really one of my secrets. as vegetables, i added  thinly sliced carrots, a little cabbage (just not too much since it makes it rather, uhm, cabbagey), pak choi and more (fresh) shiitakes. but you can vary with vegetables of your choice: spinach, corn, mangetouts, green peas, cherry tomatoes, thai asparagus and broccoli flowers are perfect candidates.

to finalise, add the noodles of your choice (i prefer ramen, but any other noodle type like soba, udon or simple egg noodles are good varieties, too), or else tofu cubes or even yuba (soy milk skin - sounds ugly but is actually quite nice). of course you can also opt for chicken, beef or prawns. then, just before serving, add soy bean sprouts, chopped green onions, cilantro, mint and thai basil. sprinkle with fried onions (from the asian market), and add a slice of lime on top.

bon appetit, mes amis!

(excursion: my mom and i ordered some really, really pretty, asian, ceramic soup bowls some time ago. they were extra large in size, hand-made and thus just a little misshapen, with holes on one side to put the chopsticks through, and in a nice, colorful glazes. but - dramatic sigh - turns out the bowls are not produced by the company... so we've waited for them in vain! so i went looking for pretty 'substitues', and was too disappointed to find that jelmoly's kitchen section was closed (closed!) and globus didn't have anything near what i expected. so, i'm still looking for the perfect not-too-classy asian soup bowls... any hint from your side more than welcome!)