Recipe - Oriental Stew

5 cup Vegetable Stock
Sm Onion, thinly cut or sliced up *
2 x Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Minced Gingeroot
1 One half tablespoon Soy sauce
3 x Stalks Bok Choy **
Sweet red Pepper, julienned
1 cup Broccoli florets
Carrot, shredded
1 cup Sliced Mushrooms (3 oz)
One half cup Peas
2 ounce Buckwheat Noodles (One half cup)
One half pound Firm Tofu, cut in 1/2" cubes
One fourth cup Watercress leaves

* or 2 scallions, chopped ** diagonally cut or sliced up , also shred leaves
GARNISH: blanched peapods, thin scallion slices, celery leaves, toasted
sesame seeds, finely shredded lettuce or watercress leaves, Optional. Place
One half cup of the vegetable stock in a Dutch oven or 3 One half 5 qt saucepan and
bring to a boil. Add onion, garlic, and gignger; simmer for 3 minutes. Stir
in remaining stock and soy sauce. Cover pot and bring to a gentle boil. Add
remaining ingredients. Test for doneness: noodles should be softened;
vegetables should remain crisp/tender. Timing about 8 minutes. Top each
serving with one of the garnishes. VARIATIONS: substitute 1 cup cooked
brown rice for the buckwheat noodles substitute or add other vegetables
such as chopped green peppers, chopped water chestnut, chopped jicama root,
shredded spinach, chopped celery, or bamboo shoots. ~ to shorten prep time,
use only 2 vegetables onion and peas for a "hotter" soup, subst. 1/21 t
dry crushed red pepper stir in 1 t toasted Sesame Oil or One half t Chinese
hot oil just before serving ~ for additional protein and flavor, stir Egg
Threads into soup just before serving EGG THREADS: In a small skillet, heat
a little margarine. When it begins to bubble, add 1 egg beaten with a
little cold water. Tilt the pan so the yolk mixture coats it in a thin
layer, the thinner the better. When the egg is lightly cooked, turn it out
onto a cutting board. Slice it into very thin strips with a sharp knife.
(makes about 1/3 cup)

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini