When I first moved to Korea, I didn’t want to spend money on heating.  Although the warm floor would have been lovely on the feet, I was far too frugal for the astronomical gas bill. To combat the cold, I cooked up huge pots of soup regularly. I am now experiencing the complete polar opposite in terms of weather, and have been melting away in the humidity for several months now.  Today, for the first time in a very long time, I got home from work, entered my apartment, and was not immediately sweating.  I seized the opportunity to whip up a quick soup for dinner, reminiscent of my earlier days on this island.  However, I’m leaving for Japan in less than 48 hours, so running down to the market and buying my usual ingredients seemed like a waste of money that would be better spent on a beachside sake later this week. I looked in my desolate fridge and pulled out the only remaining items, determined to pull together something delicious.  I think I did. Check it out!

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 broccoli head, cut into florets
• 1/2 ginger clove, minced
• small handful of chives, chopped
• 1 c water
• 2/3 c soy milk
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper, to taste
• a few squirts of Sriracha (optional, but I put it on virtually everything)

Method:

Bring water and soy milk to a boil.  Add broccoli florets, ginger, and spices, and allow to brew for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Blend the soup for two minutes and top with chives (and sriracha…if you dare).

Yields 1 bowl