Permaculturist Health

[venaurafarm <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

On 12/22/2012 10:18 PM, Frances and David wrote:
> was just reflecting on how I tried my sea spaghetti in some miso soup.
> Have we chatted about miso soup yet?

No, not yet, but lets do. Pull up a chair and bring on the popcorn.


> my personal relationship with eating non meat right now is moderate.
> I eat mainly vegan, but then, once in a while, I make up an organic
> chicken with tons of veggies...
> Lots of onion, ginger, garlic, kale, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and more...
> Put all of this in a pot.
> with a lid.
> Cook at slow heat, say 275, for however long it takes...
> the nice thing about cooking at lower temps is that the ‘ready’ time is
> more ‘spread out’...
> harder to get it wrong.
> save for underdoing it, that is.
> I’ll leave you to figure that one out.
> But, I do have an awesome tip for the broth.
> (I’ve probably shared all this before, but our hosts in Winnipeg were
> excited to learn about this and so, am excited to share it once again!)
> Cover the chicken bones with water and add several glugs of vinegar (I
> use acv)...
> This leeches much goodness from the bones, and also renders them
> bite-into-able... That way, it is possible to suck out the marrow. At
> times, even to chew the bones...
> All very filling and definitely very cold weather suitable.
> We had an organic chicken from our part of Vancouver Island with us here
> that we made up.

Very good cooking tip!

> Don’t trust ‘natural’ chickens for the simple reason that, though they
> may not use antibiotics, though they may not keep them cooped up, though
> they may allow them to pasture free range, the key point is whether or
> not they give them non-organic feed. For, non-organic feed contains
> canola and/or soy which is a gmo product!  Plain and simple. And this
> fact is true for all meats in stores, pretty much!

We can get plenty of organic free range local chicken around here.

> If it’s time, though, L, for you to go Vegan, then it’s time...
> and miso soup is so easy to make!

May be the time indeed.
I learned to make miso soup from a  macrobiotic expert who studied in 
Boston with other experts. It is the essence of simplicity:

cook organic brown rice in cast iron pot (I have been using a lot of 
medium and short grain lately but Asian red and black rice are really 
something else)

in small chef's wok:

put olive oil or other oil such as sesame, canola or peanut

put dried shitaake mushrooms in a bowl with hot water

chop carrots, green pepper, celery, onion, cabbage and put them in the 
wok; add greens from the garden too if they are available

add soaked, soft shitaake, reserve soak water to add to soup later

do not cook much, onions should be before turning transparent, 
everything else al dente, greens when very light green

remove from wok and put in bowl, add water

use a suribachi and pestle to liquify your miso with cold water
put dulse in bowl with water to soak until soft

when vegetables and water have become warm add the miso, dulse and its 
soak water and the shitaake soak water

dice tofu or tempeh and add to wok with more oil
add ume vinegar or other type; brown rice vinegar is very excellent,
ume is really a condiment
add coarse natural salt
add a lot of powdered herbs:
cayenne pepper
turmeric
a very little black or white pepper or leave it out altogether
cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon or both
coriander
cumin
sometimes I add ground mustard though whole mustard might be good
ground ginger (haven't been using this but plan to start next batch)
lots of chopped garlic is good in this dish (haven't been using this 
lately but will eventually)
Cook tofu or tempeh until done and not browned and when herbs
have fully coated it

Serve with miso soup and rice.

I prefer hatcho miso because I like the flavor and it is supposed to 
have the most probiotic activity. Barley and rice miso are excellent
but hatcho gives you more food and benefit for the dollar.

LL


> Just saute some onions, and add in carrot, if you like, lot of greens,
> and whatever more you wish, though ginger is highly recommended, and
> sometimes, if the spirit moves, garlic can be great.
> The final addition of miso, is to be done only with the portion of soup
> in your bowl. And, without heat. So, never boil your miso. Just add it
> cold by stirring it in to your warm soup.

Exactly correct. The miso should not be heated.

> You may wish to add some chopped green onions on top.

Good.

> And, seaweed is definitely nice. My favourite would be dulse for the
> occasion, aside from the spaghetti type, that is...
> Kombu, as far as I know needs a lot of time to soften up, so it has not
> been one that I have added to this mix.

Good seaweeds for miso soup:
kombu, wakame, dulse, kelp, hiziki, nori, alaria, digitata, other ones 
native to Japan or Korea.

In Japan there is something called chlorella spaghetti, maybe spirulina 
too, all grown in freshwater ponds set up for that purpose.

> Happy food preparation.
> (It is so healthy for all people to take part in their daily repast!)
> Frances

Great advice, Frances.

LL