Chinese cabbage and bean curd soup with mushrooms <t>

3 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 cups Water
1 medium Onion
2 Cloves garlic; halved
2 Shiitake mushrooms; or more
1 tablespoon Shiitake mushroom sauce; *see note
1 tablespoon Tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon Vegetarian bouillon
1 teaspoon Peanut oil; or canola oil, plus dark sesame oil, for aromatic
1½ cup Shredded napa cabbage
½ cup Sliced mushrooms
¼ cup Sliced waterchestnuts
1 tablespoon Dry sherry; mixed with
1 tablespoon Shiitake mushroom sauce
4 ounces Tofu Mori-nu lite firm; cubed
Chopped scallion tops; for garnish

Directions

STOCK

STOCK: Trim the ends off the onion and then cut two slices, one from each end, about ½-inch thick; peel and separate into rings. Set the rest of the onion aside for later.

Measure water into a saucepan. Add the onion rings, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, a vegetarian "oyster" sauce (see note), tamari and bouillon.

Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until aromatic. Let stand another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and reserve the shiitake. Strain the broth into a heat-proof container and set aside; you may need to reheat the broth in a microwave. (The vegetables are no longer needed. ) While the stock is simmering, sliver slice the rest of the onion. Rinse and dry Chinese or savoy cabbage leaves, enough to make 2 or 3 handfuls of finely shredded cabbage. Mix the sherry with additional shiitake mushroom sauce and set aside.

About 5 mins before serving, heat the oil in the saucepan. Saute the cabbage a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and saute. Add the waterchestnuts and heat through. Clear a small opening near the center of the pan and add the sherry-sauce mixture. When the alcohol evaporates, add the hot (but not boiling) broth to the pan and mix well to heat through.

Gently add the tofu and heat. Ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with chopped scallion greens. Serve with soy sauce and crunchy noodles, optional.

Pat's NOTE: Nava's recipe calls for 4 to 5 dried shiitake mushrooms; reconstituted. We used two fresh shiitake and supplemented with a bottled sauce available from Lee Kum Kee. We also added a little vegetarian bouillon that contains soy protein. We served the soup with an asparagus dish; the snapped asparagus ends were added to the soup stock. You can make the stock up to 24 hrs. ahead of the meal and reheat before adding to the sauted cabbage.

* Lee Kum Kee carries a VEGETARIAN OYSTER FLAVORED SAUCE that imitates the flavor of oyster sauce by using the essence of shiitake mushrooms. It is excellent for braising or as a dip, enhancing the flavor of vegetarian dishes. Mushrooms, sugar, soy sauce, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, caramel color. Also called: VEGETARIAN STIR-FRY SAUCE.

SERVING IDEA: Serve soup as first course followed with Udon Noodles with Asparagus and Cashews <T> by Nava Atlas (see recipe).

Kitpath 1998-Apr-26 PAT Hanneman's Kitchen (PER mc-SERVING: 78 Calories; 7g Fat (24% calories from fat); 2g Fiber; 5g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol. )

Recipe by: Adapted from Nava Atlas, Vegetarian Celebrations Posted to EAT-LF Digest by KitPATh <phannema@...> on Apr 26, 1998

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