‘Let your spine be loose like seaweed’
This quote comes from Eoin Finn, a pro surfer who is talking about his recommended form in both surfing and yoga. It is common to think that in both of these art forms you need to hold your body in perfect forms. However, this rigidity can be harmful, as you focus on the form, versus being present in the body.
When Eoin cues students to fold forward from the hips, he tells them to ‘let their heads get heavy on their spines and free the arms to dangle side to side like seaweed undulating in an ocean current’. ‘When we relax our body and mind we can feel the rhythms of our energy body and we release stiffness, tension and stress. This opens us up to a deep experience of presence and bliss.’
This Miso Soup uses three types of seaweed. Seaweed is the most nutritious food on earth. It’s has 14-200x the amount of minerals/vitamins of land vegetables – iodine, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, C, E and B12. (B12 is a nutrient of concern for most people, and seaweed is a great way to add more into your diet). Miso is an excellent source of easily digestible protein and is rich in live enzymes that promote bowel health. In Chinese medicine, shiitake are thought to boost health and longevity, as well as improve circulation.
This soup is both deeply comforting, nutritious and has umami. It can be adapted by using as a ramen base and adding noodles, thinned down and used as broth or just eating as in as dinner. It comes from one on my culinary school teachers, who teaches not just through theory, but by his actions. Nurturing us through food and support.
Recipe:
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame oil
- 1 Onion, sauté slice
- 1 Carrot, half-moon slice
- 2 ribs Celery, diagonal slice
- 10 Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 4*4 inches Kombu
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/4 cup Wakame, soaked
- 1/4 cup Arame, soaked
- 8 cups water/stock
- 1/2 lb Tofu, small dice
- 1 cup White Miso
- 2 scallions, diagonal slice
Method:
- Heat oil in a gallon pot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, shiitakes, garlic, kombu and salt. Sweat for 15 minutes on a low heat, stirred occasionally
- Add wakame and arame, continue to sweat for 10 minutes
- Add 6 cups of water, bring soup to a simmer for another 15 minutes. Add tofu.
- Turn off heat and let broth stand for 5 minutes. Remove kombu.
- Temper miso by adding 2 cups of water/broth to the miso and whisking. Add to the soup.
- Garnish with scallions
