Chinese-style Mushroom and Vegetable Soup~

This is probably my most used soup recipe, I think I make it about once a week. It's earthy, sweet and slightly spicy. Nom. I don't include measurements because it can be made to people's tastes. For example, if you want more sweetness, use more peppers, more earthiness, use more mushrooms. Feel free to add anything you feel would work, or to leave out anything you don't like. ^_^


Ingredients:

• Any type of mushrooms, like shiitake, shimeji, portobello, crimini, porcini, wood ear, chestnut, etc. (+earthy)
• Onions, red or white (+savoury)
• Sweet Peppers of any kind. Bell, ramiro.. (+sweet)
• Chili peppers, deseeded (+spicy)
• Sugar (+sweet)
• Sesame oil (+savoury/sweet)
• Dark or light soy sauce (+salty)
• Vegetable stock (+savoury)
• Pak choi
• Tofu, firm.
• Garlic, peeled (+spicy/savoury)
• Carrot (+sweet)
• Squash or pumpkin (+sweet)
• Paprika (+sweet/spicy)
• Beansprouts
• Ramen or rice noodles (cooked and cooled)
• Peanut oil, or rapeseed oil for frying
• Egg, beaten. One egg per three servings)

Direction~

-Wash and dice all vegetables into quite small pieces or thin slices.

-Heat oil to a high temperature in a deep pot.

-First, fry the vegetables that need a bit more time than others to cook, like squash/pumpkin, carrot, garlic.

When those are suitably fried and tender (after about 5 minutes), add other vegetables, like onions, peppers, mushrooms, tofu, chillies. Continue to stir-fry for another 5 minutes.

-After that, add the tender vegetables like pak choi and beansprouts, and fry for 2 minutes.

-Add  a couple of pinches of paprika and stir in. Continue to fry until you think the vegetables are just about nearly cooked. Stick a fork in the carrot/squash to see how tender they are~ ^^

-Add enough vegetable stock to cover the ingredients, and then a little more so that they're slightly swimming~

Bring to the boil.

-When bubbling vigorously, immediately take off the heat, and slowly add the beaten egg to the pot while stirring in a circle, so that the egg instantly cooks and forms ribbons throughout the soup.

Pour into bowls already containing the cooled noodles, and enjoy! <3

HP Recovered: 900! Very vitamin-rich and substantial. Noodles add extra bulk to the meal.

Delicious Tofu Skewers

These look absolutely AMAZING when they're all done, and ready to be eaten.

Ingredients

• Firm tofu. (cut into skewer-size pieces)
• Ground spices. (like cumin, paprika, garlic, cayenne, turmeric)
• Egg. (beaten)
• Wooden skewers. (soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand)
• Regular or Panko breadcrumbs.
• Bell peppers, or any thick sweet pepper.
• Red or white onion.
• Plain white flour.

Directions~

-Get three small bowls.
Fill one with a mixture of flour and spices, to a ratio of 1/3 spices, 2/3 flour. Mix together.
Fill another with the beaten egg mixture.
And fill one more with breadcrumbs.

-One at a time, by hand, get each piece of tofu and coat it first in the flour/spices mix, then followed by the egg mixture, and finally coat the egg layer with breadcrumbs. Place on a plate or chopping board.

-Quarter the onions, and cut the peppers into large slices.

-Put the tofu cubes on a skewer, along with the vegetables.

-Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes (Ideally suspended) @220c until the tofu coating has turned a lovely golden colour and the vegetables have charred a little. Serve drizzled with some sort of spicy sauce or mayonnaise. OR BOTH!

 This is my friend Niamh learning how to make them ~^_^~

Status: Vegetarian.
HP recovered: 250
Filling? Not really, best used as a party food, or a starter.
Healthy? Definitely! The only vaguely unhealthy ingredient is eggs. No oil used in this recipe.
Please use organic free range eggs. And try to get organic/non-GMO tofu and vegetables.