Soba Noodles with Miso-Sesame Sauce

This favorite is from The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner.

About the ingredients: Sea vegetables, miso, and burdock root can all be found in natural food stores. Sea vegetables (aka seaweed) add essential vitamins and nutrients to the soup while helping reduce gas. The miso has live enzymes, similar to yogurt, that are beneficial for good digestive health. Burdock root is fortifying and good for the blood. You can use burdock fresh, as indicated in the recipe, but it has a strong flavor, Noriko recommends soaking it in rice vinegar for 30-45 minutes then put it in a pan of water and a few tablespoons of vinegar and bring it to a boil. Another technique is to sauté it in a skillet with some oil for a few minutes until it is browned. For both prep techniques you should peel and sliver the burdock first.  

         1 cup split peas

         1 strip wakame or kombu seaweed

          1 onion, diced

         1 clove garlic

         1/8 cup burdock, slivered

         1 carrot or parsnip

         1 stalk celery, diced

         1/2 tsp. Thyme and marjoram

         2 Tablespoons barley or hatcho miso

                (or more to taste)

Wash the peas several times, until the water is clear (makes soup less gas-forming). Boil and skim off any foam. Then add seaweed, burdock, onion, and enough water to cover by 1”. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add other veggies, and just enough water to make desired creaminess. Simmer 30 minutes more. Dissolve miso into soup just before serving by taking about 1/4 cup of hot soup out of the pot to mix the miso in. Do not bring soup to a full boil after adding miso because you will destroy the beneficial live enzymes.

Enjoy!