The Nerve Weekend Dish: Coconut, basil and broccoli noodle broth by Bosh!

“Full of vibrant, slurp-able goodness” is how Henry Firth and Ian Theasby – the vegan chefs behind Bosh! – describe the noodle recipe they’re sharing with the Nerve for today’s Weekend Dish. But, leafing through their latest cookbook, More Plants, it’s apparent that the same could be said for most of their recipes (with varying degrees of slurpability) – they burst with bright colours, textures and zingy flavour combinations that leave your tastebuds tingling. From rocket, pea and pistachio linguine to smoky barbecue pulled oyster mushroom tacos and big bean jambalaya, there’s not a dull beige dish in sight.

Firth and Theasby first met aged 11 at secondary school in Sheffield but it was in 2014, having moved to London, that they watched the documentary Cowspiracy, about the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, and vowed to turn vegan. Not long after, they had the idea to start a business. 

“Nearly 10 years ago,” they say, “we started Bosh! with one simple mission: to help more people eat more plants. Back then, recipes for good, plant-rich dishes were often hard to find. Supermarkets were behind the curve, the internet was full of confusing advice, and cookbooks often didn’t show us how to cook the food we wanted to eat. So, we got on to it.”

In the decade since, they’ve become leading lights of the plant-based eating revolution with output spanning books, ready meals, TV shows and content across their social media channels, with millions of followers. Now in their 40s, with six Sunday Times bestselling cookbooks under their belts, they’ve both become fathers and have distilled everything they’ve learned into their new book of quick recipes – 90 plant-rich 30-minute meals. Their hope for the book, they say, is to make it “easier and tastier than ever to put more plants on more plates”.

Words by Imogen Carter

Photographs by Haarala Hamilton

Serves 2

A fragrant, feelgood noodle soup with a creamy coconut and basil broth, zingy aromatics, and just-charred long-stem broccoli, then finished with a punchy peanut rāyu for extra heat and crunch. It’s comforting, nourishing, and full of vibrant, slurp-able goodness.

Ingredients

For the spicy peanut rāyu 

Before you start: you will need a high-speed blender, a large saucepan, a medium frying pan (or wok), and a medium saucepan. 

1. Prep ingredients. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Blend the coconut milk with the basil until smooth and set aside. 

2. Make broth. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and ginger and cook for 6-7 mins, until golden. 

3. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 min. 

4. Remove half of the shallot mixture to a small bowl and set aside. 

5. Pour the stock into the pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and keep the broth on a gentle simmer, topping up with a splash of water, if needed, while you continue with the rest of the recipe. 

6. Make peanut rāyu. Juice half the lime and cut the other half into wedges. Roughly chop the peanuts. Add the crispy chilli oil, soy sauce and peanuts to the reserved fried shallot mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning with sugar, salt and the lime juice. Set aside. 

7. Cook broccoli. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in a medium frying pan over a high heat. Add the broccoli with a pinch of salt and stir-fry for 2-3 mins, until tender and slightly charred in places. Keep warm. 

8. Cook noodles. Meanwhile, cook the noodles following the instructions on the packet, then drain.

9. Assemble and serve. Divide the coconut basil mixture between your serving bowls, then pour in the hot broth. Add the cooked noodles and top with the charred broccoli. Drizzle generously with the peanut rāyu and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

BOSH! More Plants by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published by DK (£22)