Iced Noodle Soup of Dreams

Notes

A cold noodle bowl built for a hot night and a happy gut — miso and gochujang loosened into coconut milk and tahini, poured over ice, then piled with cold rice noodles, smoked tofu, massaged red cabbage and a fistful of herbs. Healthy bacteria from the miso, resistant starch from the cooled noodles, polyphenols from all the bright stuff. Genuinely a "nothing in the fridge" dinner that eats like a treat.

Ingredients

• 1 heaped tsp miso
• 1 small tsp gochujang (or just over half)
• 1 tbsp tahini
• ½ lime
• ⅓ tin coconut milk
• 1 portion rice noodles
• Handful red cabbage, finely sliced
• Small handful each fresh mint & coriander
• ½ block tofu, smoked if you can get it (or protein of choice)
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
• Furikake to garnish (or black sesame seeds)
• 4 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Noodles: Soak the rice noodles in just-boiled (not boiling) water — the residual heat cooks them. Drain, run under cold water, set aside.
2. Cabbage: Massage the finely sliced red cabbage with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime until it softens and turns bright.
3. Herbs: Wash and dry the mint and coriander, set aside.
4. Tofu: Fry the crumbled tofu in sesame oil until browned, then splash with soy sauce. The sauce carries the flavour, so no need to overcomplicate.
5. Dressing: Loosen the miso and gochujang in a tiny bit of water until smooth. Whisk in the coconut milk, tahini and a squeeze of lime. Taste and adjust.
6. Assemble: In a shallow bowl, add the ice cubes and sauce. Top with noodles, tofu, cabbage, herbs and a shower of furikake. Dive in.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

• Calories: ~660
• Protein: 28g
• Fat: 40g
• Carbs: 58g

Estimated from the ingredients — amounts and serving size vary, so treat it as a ballpark.