I haven’t been feeling all that well lately. I’m not exactly sick, but my energy levels are pretty low. I have been feeling like I’m starting to get a cold for two weeks or so, only it never actually develops into a cold. I have felt like doing little more than lazing around the house–drinking tea and reading–though I do feel better when I get out and do something else. I love fall, but these days it doesn’t seem to love me. I’m finding it really cold for the beginning of October. It might be my imagination, but our spring, summer and fall (so far) have all been colder than usual here in Montreal. Maybe it’s some sort of global-warming-in-reverse.

Due to my lethargic state, C has been cooking our dinner more often than usual. However, a few days ago I made this wonderful soup, and it was just what we both needed: warm, comforting, nutritious, and simple (though soaking and cooking the beans does take awhile). We ate it with cooked millet, my homemade kimchi, some sliced raw veggies and a shredded cabbage salad. I was really impressed with the soup–it is truly greater than the sum of its parts. I got the basic recipe from a little cookbook that I found in a used bookshop a few weeks ago. It’s called Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen by Fukuhara and Takahata. In it the authors talk about some traditional Japanese ingredients that are thought to be healing, and then introduce several simple recipes for each one. I didn’t make the recipe exactly as it was in the book, but made a thicker and heartier version using the same main ingredients.

this is the leftover soup with millet mixed in, for breakfast.

Though I changed a lot of things when I made the soup myself, I’m going to post the recipe here as it appears in the book, and then talk about the changes I made to it.

Polka-Dot Soup
from Natural Remedies from the Japanese Kitchen
1/5 Japanese pumpkin
1/2 onion
1/2 cup boiled azuki beans
4 cups soup stock
2/3 cup miso

(Beforehand, the azuki beans should be soaked overnight and boiled until soft. I made my soup stock with kombu and shiitake mushrooms, but you can use any stock you have. )

Cut the unpeeled pumpkin and the onion into small cubes. Place the soup stock in a pot and add the pumpkin. Simmer for 10mins, until the pumpkin is tender. Drain the azuki beans and add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the miso until dissolved. Remove from heat and serve.

When I made my version of the soup I used buttercup squash, and peeled it. I didn’t drain the cooked azuki beans, because I like it when the stock gets thick and opaque from the beans. I also added chopped green onion, a bit of fresh minced ginger, some watercress and a few roasted gingko nuts. I think that carrots and sweet potato would also be really good in this type of soup, and will try them another time.

This was the first time I roasted ginkgo nuts myself, and it was quite an experience! A few of them actually blew up in the oven. It was messy and noisy. I plan to try gathering ginkgo nuts in the park when they are ready in a few weeks, and I will try a different roasting method then. They are thought to be very healthy in moderation, and are widely used in Asian recipes and in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine. In Korea I was often told that it is healthy to eat up to 5 or 6 of them a day, but if you eat more than that they can be toxic. In Seoul ginkgo trees line many of the roads, as they are excellent for purifying the air. In fall people would come with a tarp or sheet that they spread beneath the tree, and then they would use a long broom to knock the fruits from the tree, so they could be cleaned and used for food or medicine. Though we have ginkgo trees here in Canada that produce fruit (inedible, but contains the edible nut/seed) I have never seen anyone gathering them to use.

fresh ginkgo nuts

This soup is simple and delicious, besides being really healthy. I hope you try it, and that you’re as impressed as I was. I plan to make it again soon.
Stay warm, and eat lots of nourishing fall foods.

Have a great weekend!

Tags: autumn, cookbook, Japanese, pumpkin/squash, Seasons, vegetables

This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pm and is filed under Seasons, Veggies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.