Today I celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year with an Asian inspired vegan miso soup with noodles, broccoli, snow peas & bok choy.
The Chinese New Year officially begins on January 25 and ends on February 8. Without a doubt, noodle dishes are a staple of the Chinese New Year celebration. They represent and promise longevity.
Personally, I have never met a noodle I didn't like. Asian noodles differ from common pasta because of the broader range of flours and starches in the ingredients.
I used zero carbohydrate high-protein chickpea noodles for this vegan miso soup, and they were outstanding.
You can also use tofu noodles, soba noodles, ramen noodles, and the list goes on and on. Any noodle is fine for this recipe; just make sure you read the cooking instructions.
The slightly sweet, salty, and savory miso flavor bomb is what makes this vegan miso soup stand out. As a chef, I am in constant pursuit of new flavor bombs that take a dish from good to so, so, tasty, and this is one of my favorites. Miso is worth the investment and can add a savory flavor to anything you cook.
Hot Chili Peppers Are Your Friend!
You can also add as much heat as you desire.
I only used one Fresno chili in this recipe, but if you like heat, add more. Or perhaps add some samba leek or red chili paste. Thanks to a class of compounds called capsaicinoids in hot peppers, there are extra health benefits to hot peppers. Capsaicinoids can increase metabolism, relieve topical pain, and even reduce insulin spikes in diabetes.
Hope you enjoy this Asian inspired noodle dish as much as we did. If you enjoy noodles, you will probably enjoy my Sesame Noodles with Spicy Chili Oil and Scallions, Asian Noodle Salad with Tofu or my Vegan Pad Thai.
Vegan Miso Soup with Noodles, Broccoli, Snow Peas & Bok Choy
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- ½ cup vegetable broth for sautéing plus 4 cups for soup broth
- 8-ounce package soba, soy, rice or spaghetti noodles (you may only need about half)
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small red fresno chili, chopped
- 3 tablespoons white miso
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ lb brocoli florets
- ½ lb to ¾ lb bok choy, chopped
- ¼ lb snow peas, tough string on the edge of shell removed
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- lime wedges for serving
- Chopped cilantro (optional)
- A drizzle of sesame oil for garnish (optional)
- Heat ½ cup vegetable broth in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the shallots and Fresno chili and cook for 3 minutes. Season with some fresh ground black pepper. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add 4 cups of vegetable broth to the soup pot and bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl add the miso, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add some warm water and whisk to dissolve the miso.
- Add the miso mixture to the vegetable broth.
- Add the broccoli to the simmering broth and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the bok choy to the broth with broccoli and cook for two minutes. Next add the snow peas and cook for another 3 minuets. Test the vegetables and make sure they are all cooked through but still have a bite.
- Serve with lime wedges for a bright kick and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro for freshness.
- Drizzle with a tiny bit of sesame oil if you are not oil-free
Do you just cook the noodles separately and then add?
Hi Jen – It depends on what kind of noodles you are using. If you are using a brand of cooked soft tofu or chickpea noodles – they only need about 3 minutes in the simmering broth. If you are using a pasta like dried spaghetti – I recommend you cook it separately so it doesn’t absorb all that yummy broth. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! Nancy
Sounds delicious! Did you do a calorie count by any chance?
Hi Linda – I am sorry to say I don’t but I can say it is definitely low in calories. Thanks for stopping by and for being part of our healthy community!
Hi Nancy
Was wondering if you could breakdown nutrition facts as Joe
Prediabetic and watching his carbs. Want tomake this soup sounds yummy
Hi Carol – Here is the no carb noodles I use – Don’t have the nutrition facts breakdown of the other carbs like the vegetables but complex carbs like veggies should be ok – You can usually find the carb free noodles in stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes & Sprouts, http://www.nasoya.com/healthy-tofu-products/pasta-zero-spaghetti/ The package will have the carb breakdown. It says zero carbs. Thanks for stopping by – Love to Joe!
Where do we find zero carb high-protein chickpea noodles? We cannot wait to try this! Thank you!
Hi Kathleen – Here is the link – You can usually find in healthier grocery stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Luckys etc – Thanks for being part of our healthy community and for stopping by.
Hello! Please note that anything made of chickpea flour cannot be zero carb. All beans (and lentils) include carbohydrates. It is probably more accurate to say that chickpea noodles are higher in protein and *lower* in carbs than noodles made of rice or wheat. Recipe looks delicious, though!
Hi Adrienne – The packages misleading because it leads you to believe there are zero carbs when there are actually 1% / 4 carbs. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy the recipe!
I found 8 oz of Soba noodles was way too much. Had to toss the excess, reluctantly.
Sorry to hear that Sharon – I made the noodles separately and can’t remember if I had leftovers. Thanks for the heads up.
This was absolutely delicious and fresh. My whole house loved it. I made extra broth because I like brothy soups and use buckwheat soba made separately. Adding green onion, cilantro and lime at the end added a great complexity! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much for your feedback Antoinette. So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Nancy, just found your podcast and website and loving both. Thanks so much for sharing all this information and awesome recipes. Cheers Jo ( Australia)
Thank you so much for listening and for your kind words – I appreciate it very much – need to visit Australia someday
I was cleaning out my fridge and had a lot of broccoli, bok choy and snow peas, so this recipe was bang on for my purpose. I doubled the recipe, but fiddled with some of the proportions. Because I was using red miso, I only used 4 tbsp. I added 3 tbsp light (not lite) soy sauce, thinking I could add more later if needed. I doubled the rice wine vinegar (2 tbsp). My veg was relatively close to the (doubled) weights in the recipe. However, my veg were cut bite size and needed less cooking time than suggested, especially the broccoli. I did need to add a little salt at the end, and added some Maldon salt rather than more soy sauce. I didn’t have a fresh chili on hand, so added some Asian chili oil at the end (in addition to a generous helping of toasted sesame oil). I didn’t have lime, so squeezed in a half lemon. It was quite good. If I was to make it again, I might think about adding a bit of chopped ginger with the scallions and some chopped green onion at the end. I didn’t serve this with noodles, but I’m thinking I’d be pretty happy with the leftovers on top of some rice ramen noodles I have in the pantry that are just itching for a fix like this. If the veg gets too mushy, I’m thinking they might be okay blended as a sauce to serve over noodles. BTW. We’re not vegan and not following any special diets. As far as we’re concerned, this recipe has broad appeal. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Tina for your feedback and great suggestions
I don’t have rice vinegar and peppers, can it be made without.
You can definitely omit the chili pepper and substitute white wine or champagne vinegar for the rice vinegar. If you don’t have any vinegar – perhaps a squeeze of lime or lemon to add some acid. Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!