Recipe - Chinese Cabbage And Bean Curd Soup With Mushrooms T

STOCK
4 cup Water
1 md 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
1 One half cup Shredded napa cabbage
One half cup Sliced mushrooms
One fourth cup Sliced waterchestnuts
1 tablespoon Dry sherry; mixed with
1 tablespoon Shiitake mushroom sauce
4 ounce Tofu Morinu lite firm;
cubed
Chopped scallion tops; for
garnish

STOCK: Trim the ends off the onion and then cut two slices, one from each
end, about 1/2inch 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
heatproof 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 sherrysauce 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 http://www.lkk.com/ 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 STIRFRY SAUCE.

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

Kitpath 1998Apr26 PAT Hanneman's Kitchen (PER mcSERVING: 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 EATLF Digest by KitPATh phannema@wizard.ucr.edu on Apr 26,
1998