This Golden Fennel Soba Noodle Soup is extremely flavorful and packed with wonderful Asian essences. I start by making a healthy turmeric coconut broth with pureed roasted yellow peppers, then I add soba noodles and roasted fennel. The quick pickled veggies blend nicely with the umami of the broth as well as adding a crunchy dimension.
I have seen “golden recipe this” and “golden recipe that” all over the Internet lately and thought to myself “I want to come up with my own healing golden recipe”. I love Asian inspired soups and lately, I have been really craving those flavors so I decided to make an Asian inspired golden soba soup. The roasted fennel is an amazing addition along with the pureed roasted yellow peppers in the broth. Then, I thought to myself “I wonder what pickled veggies would be like as a garnish?” I figured that there is a lot of pickled condiments in Asian cooking so let’s give it a try. Guys! It is phenomenal!!! It adds the perfect tanginess along with crunchiness. The best part about this broth is that it is great for your skin, eyes, metabolism, joints and an all-around boost to your health!
I wanted to create a happy yellow broth that is healthy yet not compromising on flavor. This is a versatile soup that you can adjust the heat by adding or subtracting Serrano peppers. You can replace the fennel with any other vegetable that you may prefer or you can simply enjoy the broth and soba noodles all by themselves.
I enjoyed a Sparkling white wine with this dish and it was perfect. It is also wonderful with a white Rioja, Sauvignon Blanc or a cold Sake.
Golden Fennel Soba Noodle Soup with a Turmeric Coconut Broth Recipe:
Ingredients
- 4 Large Yellow Bell Pepper - roasted
- 2 Fennel bulbs - thinly sliced - roasted
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
- 2 Shallots or 1/2 Cup - minced
- 2 Clove Garlic - minced
- 2 - 4 Serrano Peppers - minced - optional
- 2 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger - microplane
- 2 Vegetable Bouillon Cube - unsalted or low salt
- 2 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Turmeric
- 2 Tablespoon Tamari Soy Sauce - I used gluten free
- 2 Tablespoon Lime Juice - fresh squeezed
- 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt - or to taste
- 1 Pack Soba Noodles - I used gluten free Eden brand
Quick pickled veggies
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons - Brown Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons - Champagne Vinegar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt - or to taste
- 1 Shallot - minced
- 1 Bunch Radish - small cubes
- 1 Small Carrots - small cubes
- 1/2 Small Fennel Bulb - small cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Cilantro - minced - or to taste
- 1 - 2 Serrano Pepper - minced - optional
Garnish option
- Fennel fronds
Instructions
Pickled Veggies
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In a medium sized jar, add both of the vinegars and salt.
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Cut all the veggies into small squares and add to the vinegar.
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Let sit for at least one hour. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Roasted Peppers
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Roast peppers on the stovetop on medium-high heat.
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A gas stove works the best but it will also work fine on an electric stove.
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Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.
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When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.
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Take a paper towel and rub off the char. It’s ok to leave a little of the char.
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Slice in half and remove the seeds and stems.
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Roughly chop them up for pureeing.
Fennel
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Cut the stalks off of the fennel bulb, then cut the bulb in half and cut out the core. Cut one of the halves in half and then slice as thin as you can. Widthwise.
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Add to a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss together.
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Bake on middle rack for 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges. Set aside.
Broth
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In a large pan, add the coconut oil and shallots and turn on to medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the shallots are soft.
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Add the garlic, serranos and ginger. Stir and cook until the garlic just starts to become golden.
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Add the bouillon cubes and a few tablespoons of the coconut milk to disintegrate the bouillon cubes then add in the rest of the coconut milk.
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Next, add the bell peppers, turmeric, tamari, lime juice, sesame oil, and salt. Puree in either in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth.
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Simmer for about 15 minutes to incorporate flavors.
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Strain through a fine mesh colander.
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Cook the soba noodles according to the package.
Assembly
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Add noodles to the bowls, add the broth and top with the roasted fennel and pickled veggies.
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Garnish with fennel fronds.
Recipe Notes
Soba - If you are serving 6 or more, go ahead and cook the three packs in the package of soba noodles. If you are serving only two, cook one of the three packages.
Broth - The remains from the straining are wonderful added onto rice.
Quick pickles - In reality, you will most likely only need half of this pickle recipe but it is also really good with Mexican food or on sandwiches as well.
