Triple chickpea noodle soup

Simply the fastest, freshest, most deliciously nourishing
hug-in-a-bowl you can imagine!

Chickpea miso, chickpea broth (aquafaba), and chickpeas themselves create this trifecta of a chickpea noodle soup that’s endlessly flexible and forgiving.

Serves 2 as a main meal, and easily doubled

Use any noodles you have in the pantry – and add more if you’d like your soup more noodle-heavy. Throw in any quick-cooking veg you have in the fridge.

Pop a soft-boiled egg on top (always good), but don’t fret if you don’t have the time or energy – it will still be very good 😊

The only non-negotiable is a can of good quality chickpeas and their tasty broth. If you can find chickpeas with salt added, all the better, as the liquid and the chickpeas themselves are much more flavourful.

Why you and your body will love this

A warming, delicious dinner on the table in 15 minutes max, plenty of green veg for B vitamins and minerals, chickpeas for protein, and lots of good-for-your-guts prebiotics and probiotics – this noodle soup delivers on every level 😊 🥦

What you’ll need

Splash of Australian extra virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil
40g fresh ginger (about 4cm piece), finely chopped or grated
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 Tablespoon chickpea miso – or use regular white miso
1 can organic chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved (I like Global Organics brand with salt added)
About 3 ½ cups vegetable stock or water
80g ramen, somen or soba noodles (I like Hakubaku Japanese Ramen Noodles – you’ll find them in most supermarkets)
2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 bunch broccolini, sliced into thirds, thick stems halved lengthways – or use broccoli cut into small florets
1–2 small bok choy, roughly shredded
1 Tablespoon chickpea miso, extra
Light soy sauce, to taste

To serve (all optional but delicious)
Soft boiled eggs
Chilli oil or crisp
Roughly chopped fresh coriander
Finely sliced spring onion

What to do

Heat a splash of olive or sesame oil in a medium saucepan over low–medium heat. Add the ginger and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ground turmeric and chickpea miso. Cook, stirring constantly until the miso starts to darken and stick to the bottom of the pan, another 2–3 minutes.

Pour the reserved chickpea liquid in a measuring jug and add stock or water to make up 4 cups liquid. Stir a small amount of the liquid into the saucepan, scraping any stuck bits of miso from the bottom of the pan and stir well. Add the rest of the liquid along with the chickpeas, and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 5 minutes, just long enough for the flavours to mingle and get to know each other a little.

Add the noodles and sliced celery to the broth and simmer until you have 3 minutes of noodle cooking time left (Hakubaku noodles take 4 minutes total to cook). Add the broccolini and cook for 2 minutes, then add the bok choy and cook for a final minute. (If you use broccoli rather than broccolini it might take a bit longer to cook, so you can add it along with the noodles and celery.)

Turn off the heat and taste the broth – it will probably need a bit more seasoning. Stir in the extra 1 tablespoon of miso paste. By adding this off the heat, you’ll also be getting probiotics from the miso. Taste again and add a little soy sauce to taste if needed.

Ladle into two deep bowls and top each with a soft-boiled egg, chilli oil or crisp, spring onion and coriander.