Have two minutes to spare? That’s how long it takes to create this healthy, profoundly flavorful soup entirely from scratch and using just a few ingredients. Our quick noodle soup is perfect for a light lunch or even for the midafternoon slump, when you feel like you just need a quick something to power you through to the evening hours.
To help try and maximize the nutritive benefits of this soup, we start with brown rice vermicelli noodles, which are available in many specialty supermarkets and health food stores … but we also wouldn’t blame you a bit if you snuck the noodle brick out of one of those 29 cent packages of ramen noodles from the gas station (without the seasoning pack, which is typically made mostly of sodium and msg). This soup’s other, more virtuous ingredients will more than make up for it: Leafy broccolini lends tons of flavor to the soup, a high-fiber cruciferous vegetable loaded with calcium, magnesium and antioxidants and, according to the National Institutes of Health, may also possess anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferation properties for some types of cancer cells. If you can’t find broccolini, broccoli rabe makes a great substitute; though it’s slightly more bitter than broccolini, it packs a similar nutritive punch.
The base of the soup gets whizzed up quickly in the food processor: lemongrass (the preground squeezable stuff is fine), coconut milk, peanuts, tamarind, cilantro and turmeric, another featured player in the natural fight against cancer. Turmeric contains curcumin, which has been shown to use four different mechanisms to fight the growth and proliferation of some types of tumor cells without affecting healthy, normal cells.
Two-Minute Turmeric Superfood Noodles
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp Madras curry powder
- 2 tbsp ground lemongrass
- 1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp pureed tamarind
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 8 oz brown rice vermicelli noodles
- 1 bunch broccolini or broccoli rabe, chopped
- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
Directions:
Start by making the soup base. In the bowl of a food processor, combine scallions, garlic, cilantro, turmeric, curry powder, lemongrass, peanuts, tamarind, fish sauce and soy sauce, and pulse until roughly chopped, about 20 seconds. Add coconut milk and chicken broth, and puree until (mostly) smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook until spices become fragrant, about two minutes. Taste to check seasoning, and add salt and pepper as desired. Add 8 cups water, and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook for two minutes, then add broccolini (or broccoli rabe) and corn. Cook for one minute more (checking noodles and veggies for doneness), then ladle into bowls and serve.