This is the last of my Expecting Eats series written while I was expecting as we had the baby! But considering the postpartum nutritional needs of recovering & breastfeeding women, this is still on my menu (and has been for years). At the beginning of my pregnancy, I developed a recurring craving for this soba miso soup with plenty of spicy kick, shiitakes, and seasonal greens. My roots may be Southern American, but my pantry has a strong Japanese influence: kombu for dashi sits next to my sorghum and sticky rice keeps company with the grits.
For this quick, simple soup I keep it vegetarian and make my base broth with kombu, ginger, and garlic, and then I whisk in virtually my entire pantry: miso, mirin, sake, shoyu, sesame oil, ponzu, and chili paste along with the veggies, a bit of silky tofu if I’m in the mood, and lastly, a soft-boiled local egg, & a big swirl of soba noodles. I top it with a sprinkling of homemade togarashi powder (otherwise known as shichimi, it’s a spicy blend of sancho pepper, orange peel, sesame seed, nori, chili, and ginger) or just sesame seeds, chili flakes, & a bit of crumbled nori if I’m out of the former.
Finally, I slurp it (one must slurp noodles) down with a glass of milk to balance the spice (fact: the casein in milk binds to capsaicin oil and washes it down…hence milks “cooling effect” when eating spicy foods). As it turns out, that craving was an intuitively balanced meal both on the palette and nutritionally. Milk brought much needed vitamin D and calcium to the table while the buckwheat noodles brought protein & iron along with a slew of essential minerals. Not to mention the benefits of the probiotics in the miso and the obvious good of dark, leafy greens. It was a win all around. I wish I could say the same of some of my other pregnancy cravings…
Life with the baby is a blur. There’s so much to do, and I can no longer tell what I have to do from what I want to do. I, for better or worse, don’t have much of a say in the matter. For now, I’ll enjoy the stolen quiet of making soup, and continue in my efforts to reimagine my former life on this side of parenthood. Baby steps for both her & me.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon dried red raspberry leaf
- 2 tablespoon dried nettle leaf
- 2 tablespoon dried oatstraw
- 2 tablespoon. Dried Hibiscus petals
- 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar or honey (optional)
- ½ tablespoon rosewater or to taste (if using a concentrate start with an 1/4 teaspoon)
- 20 ounces organic ginger kombucha
Instructions
- Pour 16 oz of hot water over the dried herbs. Stir and steep covered for one hour then strain (you can save the herbs and re-steep them). Reheat and stir in sugar or honey until dissolved if using. Chill or cool to room temp before proceeding.
- In a quart jar, combine the infusion with the kombucha and rosewater.
- Voila! Drink throughout the day. You could drink up to 2 quarts of this beverage safely but one 12 ounce serving of the herbal infusion meets your recommended daily intake. Feel free to multiply this recipe to make as much as you'd like to keep on hand!
A thanks to got milk? for partnering with us for this post! As is clear by the name of this blog…I’m a big fan of milk!
This looks so beautiful and delicious. I love the idea of slurping with milk 🙂
xo,
Phyllis
http://desgeulasse.com/
hahaha, I remember this first weeks . I still thought that any day now everything will come back to normal. Enjoy each moment and each day. You’ll miss it. You’re a fresh mum for the first time only once 🙂
Lately, my mind has been wandering off to Japan. We went last year, but there’s still so much to explore. Until Mikkel & I get to go back and show this amazing country to our son I think I’ll make us miso soup.
I love the new approach to styling Beth. Your work is flawless & I love it even more now. Having major ceramic envy too!! I wondered what made you want to take a different route to your styling back when you wrote about it. And, how did you make that amazing concrete background?
Absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy every moment with the little one. 🙂
Congratulations! Beautiful child….beautiful writing and photography.
I look back on the years when I was having babies with intense longing. They
were, for me, truly the wonder years.
Japan is one of the countries that deeply intrigues me. It’s been on my bucket list for years, but for some reason has always gotten passed by for other adventures. This post gives me a nudge to start planning a trip. Thanks!
My non-pregnant self cannot wait to make this- it sounds amazing. Best of luck as you stumble into this new chapter of life. It sounds like a doozy, and a bit frightening, but also wonderful.
I am absolutely in love with those bowls, too! Where did you get them?!
I found them during our travels in Japan at a random ceramic shop!
Your post are so beautiful, and this looks and sounds delectable!!
Definitely will be making soon!!
I recall an interview of yours in which you said that your travels had given your life endless and ‘intangible souvenirs’ (the phrase is such a jewel, I’ve held onto it, and won’t soon forget it). It’s really something to think of the stories & souvenirs you’ll share with your girl. Say for instance stories of ikebana flower arrangements told over bowls of soba. Glasses of milk & and your little girl asking how your blog began. I for one am mindful of the life I’m living now, because I want my one-day children to have rich, varied, and dare I say beautiful childhoods. You must take such comfort in knowing that whether it’s the memory of kitchen spices or the taste of soba or some such, she’ll have those intangible souvenirs too– from her very home.
I love making miso! I’ll definitely have to try this.
Fourteen years past baby living, but I still love miso, mushrooms and slurping. Beautiful. So glad I have miso on hand!
Will you teach me to use chopsticks? I am a dismal failure.
Look so nice. I will try to cook it.
I love this.
Beautiful photos of beautiful soup! I made this last night for dinner, and could barely wait for the leftovers for lunch today. It’s the perfect soup for cold, rainy fall days in Montana. Congratulations on your baby girl! I’ve loved watching your first few weeks on the blog, as well as on Instagram.
Would love to try this recipe but the instructions are not showing up. 🙁
We were having massive recipe issues when we transferred the site upon launch…it should be up now!
Thank you! Can’t wait to try this!
I am still trying to find the recipe for your Miso soup. The Moon Elixir shows up. Thanks
Hey Beth,
Was going to try this recipe out but the instructions seem to be for the white chocolate cheesecake instead )-: Would it be possible to get the recipe up?
Thanks!
Fixed!
I love this soup and wanted to make it a second time, but the recipe for the white ricota cheesecake is here instead 🙁
So sorry! Fixed!
The recipe for the ricotta cake page is appearing instead of for spicy miso soup.
Fixed!
The recipe posted below the blog is for cheesecake? I would love to make the soba miso soup, is there a recipe available?
Fixed!
Looks delicious! The recipe at the bottom looks delicious as well but it is for White Chocolate Ricotta Cheescake. Just thought I would let you know. I can’t wait to try both! xo
Fixed!
This is showing a recipe for cheesecake, not soba noodles.
Fixed!
Would love to try this recipe, but the one that’s showing up is the White Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake. 🙁
It’s fixed! So sorry… a webhosting error where they transferred my content wrong!
Hi! I have made this before and loved it but now the recipe for the MOON MOTHER ELIXIR WITH GINGER KOMBUCHA, ROSE, AND HIBISCUS HERBAL INFUSION is showing up!
Hey Beth!
I just came to check out this recipe, but instead of the rogue cheesecake, I am seeing a MOON MOTHER ELIXIR WITH GINGER KOMBUCHA, ROSE, AND HIBISCUS HERBAL INFUSION
Could you please update when you get a chance? Sassy Internets! 😉
Thank you! Enjoy Paris!
Hi Beth! I wanted to make this tonight but I can’t find the recipe. I see the one for moon mother elixir?
I was just linked here from tumblr and the recipe is for the moon mother elixir instead of the delicious-looking soba. I would love to see the correct recipe!
For me, the page now shows the recipe for Moon mother elixir below the story of the soba miso soup. Is it just me?
Me too, still. Hoping it gets update because this looks delicious!
I’m eager for this recipe but it looks like the wrong recipe is still popping up. Please let me know if you’re able to fix it!
i am getting the Moon Elixir instead of the Miso soup.
Hi, very keen to try this recipe, it sounds delicious – however the recipe is still showing as the Moon Mother Elixir. Hope you can fix this up soon! Thanks.