In a world where we have less and less time, Gizzi Erskine breathes new life into the idea of ‘slow’. In her new cookbook, Slow: Food Worth Taking Time Over, she helps readers to embrace technique, understand the stories behind the ingredients and savour the art of cooking again.
Serves 2 (makes enough soup for 4)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 tbsp coconut, light rapeseed or groundnut oil, plus extra for frying
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp curry powder (English or Malaysian)
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp soy bean chilli oil (Chinese, Thai or Japanese)
1.2 litres boiling water
200g white miso paste
3 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Marmite
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp palm or brown sugar
400ml soy milk
200g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
200g firm tofu, cut into thick slices
100ml teriyaki sauce
2 free-range eggs, boiled for 6 minutes, quickly cooled in iced water and peeled
90g buckwheat noodles per person, cooked until al dente and refreshed in iced water
3 slices roasted butternut squash per person
2 heaped spoonfuls kimchi
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
½ tsp Korean chilli powder
1 tsp sesame seeds
Method
In a medium casserole, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion. Allow to soften for about 15 minutes to develop their sweet flavour before adding the garlic and ginger. Sweat for a further 3–4 minutes before adding the spices. Next add the soy bean chilli oil and give this a couple of minutes on the heat, before adding the water. Whisk in the miso paste, followed by the mirin, nutritional yeast, Marmite, soy and sugar. Allow the sauce to reduce on a low simmer for 30 minutes and then add the soy milk. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth, then return to the pan.
Meanwhile in a frying pan heat a glug of oil and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 5 minutes until they start to caramelise, then set aside. Return the pan to the heat, add a little extra oil if necessary, ramp up the heat and fry the tofu for a minute on each side, or until really charred. Put the teriyaki sauce in a bowl, add the tofu and the eggs and coat thoroughly. Set to one side.
When ready to serve, divide the noodles between two ramen bowls and pour a quarter of the soup base into each bowl. Slice the eggs in half and place on top. Slice the tofu into strips and arrange next to the eggs, followed by the butternut squash and kimchi. Finally, sprinkle the spring onions, chilli powder and sesame seeds over the top and serve immediately.
Recipe taken from Slow by Gizzi Erskine, available now (£25, HQ. Photography by Issy Croker, 2018
READ MORE: Smoked Chicken Thighs, Saffron and Orange Blossom Caramel, Basil and Carrot Soup with Orange-marinated Lentils
