The Healing Bowl

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It seems like everyone is sick. I am too. I hate mucus. When I'm sick, I want hot soup with noodles. This dish will make you feel better. I had this dish in Mendocino at the Mendocino Cafe. When I got sick, I craved the rich broth and soft noodles. So I made it at home. Yes, it did make me feel better.

You'll need:

• 6 dry shiitake mushrooms
• 3 slices of fresh ginger
• 1 stalk of green onion, chopped into long segments
• 1 whole Thai chili pepper
• 6 cups water
• 2 servings of soba noodles
• 1 bunch kale, stem removed, thoroughly cleaned and sliced into strips
• 1 block firm tofu or bean curd, diced
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 6 tablespoons miso (I used white miso, which is less salty. If you use darker, saltier miso, you will need less)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Begin by soaking dry shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Bring 6 cups of water to boil. Add rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger slices, green onion, Thai chili pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, gently pan fry diced tofu in a non-stick frying pan until golden brown on 4 sides. Set aside.

Strain out and discard everything, leaving just the broth. Add miso, one tablespoon at a time. Make sure to taste the broth so it's not too salty. Whisk gently to dissolve the miso. Add rice wine vinegar. Just prior to serving, bring broth to boil. Add kale, fresh sliced shiitake mushroom and soba noodles. Boil until soba noodles are cooked. Add tofu prior to serving. Serve hot.