Spice assists the body in many ways. When your face turns a little red, and you sweat, you cleanse toxins through the skin. When your nose runs, you are clearing out your sinuses. Spicy food may also urge you to the bathroom. Do be sure to go slowly as you bring more spice into meals. Some body types don’t tolerate a lot of hot, so it’s important that you pay attention to the reactions that you have and go slow.
If you’re interested in bringing even more spiciness into your meals, I suggest spending some time in a local spice shop. Mingle through the aisles, peak into the containers, taste the salt from around the world, and notice the subtle differences in dried chili.
Spicy Rice Noodle Soup
Ingredients for a single serving:
1 and a 1/2 cups of water
½ cup of thin rice noodles
1 teaspoon miso paste or a 1/2 cube of vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon of red chili sauce (I like the Sambal variety)
Chopped green onion
4-5 Mushrooms, can be sliced
Tamari or soy sauce
Bring the water to a boil on the stovetop. Add rice noodles to the water and cook until limp. Toss in the mushrooms at the same time as the noodles. After the noodles have cooked, turn down the heat and add the vegetable bouillon or miso paste. A dash of soy sauce can also be great for the flavor. Turn off the heat, pour the soup into a bowl, and top with chopped green onion.
You can make this soup in a large batch at home and bring some of it to work. If you’d like to make it on the spot, it takes about 10 minutes when you use quick-cooking rice noodles. If you are without a stovetop or burner to boil water, you can still dissolve the bouillon in hot or warm water, exclude the noodles, and then add the vegetables in their raw form. Veggies like celery, kale, or sliced fennel bulb will still wilt and cook in the hot water.
© 2012 Ava Waits
