Kelp & Kimchi Noodle Soup

The summer solstice has past in the Southern Hemisphere but bright sunny days and heat waves will still be passing through over the next couple of months which means lots of time spent along the beautiful coasts of New Zealand. We love escaping the heat in the lagoons around Whitireia, the choppy coast of Red Rocks, or the white sandy beaches up north.

We had to stay local this summer so over the New Years period we took a small road trip in our campervan to Ngawi and Cape Palliser to visit the seal colonies and walk the Pinnacles. We parked up along the coast along with hundreds of other campers, with an expansive view of the ocean and the South Island silhouetted on the horizon (which was only made more beautiful by the brilliant sunsets every evening). Ngawi is very exposed with very little shade or trees and so wandering down to the ocean to paddle or swim was such a relief from the incredible sun. There we found wonderful healthy ecosystems of seals, fish, shellfish, and a beautiful array of seaweeds.

The area is safe for foraging and so we harvested handfuls of glistening green sea lettuce, along with slippery brown kelp, and dried it all on racks my partner, Twm, made. We did have to re-dry it in the oven later as every morning the dew re-hydrated the seaweed. It was crushed up and put in jars to be shared with loved ones and put into delicious recipes!

This kimchi noodle soup features spoonfuls of our foraged kelp and sea lettuce. Feel free to adapt this recipe to use any sea vegetables you want!

Enjoy my fellow Foragers!

Kelp & Kimchi Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu, cubed

4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 packet dried shiitake mushrooms

8 cloves garlic, minced and divided

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

3 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided

1 onion, diced small

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated

1 1/2 cups homemade kimchi, roughly chopped

6 cups homemade vegetable stock

1 teaspoon of chili paste or oil

1 teaspoon coconut sugar

2 tablespoons foraged kelp flakes, plus more for garnishing

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 small tin bamboo shoots

1 packet udon or ramen noodles

3 bok choy, halved lengthwise

Fresh enoki mushrooms (optional)

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan bake and line a tray with baking paper. Place your tofu cubes or slices on the tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Gently toss and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and getting crispy.
2. Place the shiitake mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to re-hydrate for 20 minutes. Drain and put the mushrooms in a pan on a medium heat (you can add the liquid to other soups or mix with vegetable stock powder for this one!). Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Sauté for 5 minutes, place in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Place a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil along with the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the kimchi, vegetable stock, chili paste, coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, kelp flakes, and black pepper. Stir it all in and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the bamboo shoots. Simmer for 10 minutes then reduce heat to low.
5. Boil and drain your udon noodles. Using the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in, add a few tablespoons of water and place the bok choy halves in the water. Turn heat to medium and cover to gently steam the bok choy until it is vibrantly green (around 2 minutes).
6. To serve, place a handful of noodles in each bowl and ladle over spoonfuls of the tangy seaweedy kimchi soup. Top with the tofu cubes, steamed bok choy, enoki, and shiitake. Add a generous sprinkle of seaweed, sesame seeds, and spring onions. Enjoy this soup by the seaside after a day of swimming and foraging in the sunshine!

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