The recipe
Bring a large, deep pan of water to the boil, salt it lightly, add 200g of thin-stemmed broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. If you prefer, you can steam them. Drain and refresh in cold water.
Pour a litre of vegetable stock into a saucepan and set it over a moderate heat. Using a heavy weight, such as a rolling pin, crush a little lemongrass, splintering the stalks to help it flavour the broth. Add it to the vegetable stock. Finely chop one large red chilli, removing the seeds if you wish. Cut two spring onions into tiny rounds, then add, together with the chilli, to the broth. Bring the liquid to the boil, then stir in a tablespoon of white miso paste and two teaspoons or more of yuzu.
Remove the lemongrass stalks from the broth, add the cooked broccoli, let it heat through for a minute or two, then ladle into two large, deep soup bowls. Lift the broccoli out with a draining spoon.
Divide 100g of white crabmeat between the bowls then ladle in the broth around the crabmeat. Add a few coriander leaves and serve.
The trick
Once you have added the miso paste, keep the broth at a simmer. Start with a tablespoon of miso paste, adding more to taste. Don’t be tempted to add the crabmeat too early. It will overcook. The cool crabmeat and hot broth is a delightful contrast.
The twist
Should you not wish to use crab then scallops, sliced and briefly grilled, would be good, too, as would any lightly cooked white fish. If you don’t have access to yuzu juice (available at major supermarkets and Japanese grocery shops), you could use a shot of lime juice instead.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk. Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater