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Sunday 25 May 2008

Rice noodle soup to warm up the weekend...

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As the temperatures are gradually getting lower over here, soups are most welcomed. I prefer chunky soups but do enjoy pureed ones as well. Yesterday night I felt more like a light chunky soup and Chinese soups are my favourite kinds of soup. And they are pretty simple to make too.

Just before serving, I threw in some raw mung beans sprouted at home. They add flavour and crunch to the soup. The mung beans were still newly sprouted, just after five days.

You can sprout your own beans too. Just place some mung beans on a plate or large bowl. Cover with water but not completely. The beans should be half in water and half in contact with air. Place in a corner where the beans won’t be in direct sunlight. Check water daily and add as required. Another way you could do this to line a colander with a wet cloth and add the beans on top of the cloth. Keep cloth wet.

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Sprouted beans can be used raw in salads or cooked in soups and stir fries.


One thing about the rice noodles to use. Be sure to get a good brand that does not go all soggy as soon as it is immersed in boiling water. Or some brands also have a tendency to break into small pieces. I guess you’ll have to try different brands to know which ones are good. I used this one but don’t know if it’s available everywhere.

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So yesterday for diner and today for Sunday brunch I had this nice warm Chinese soup.



Ingredients (4 servings)

2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 bunch Chinese greens, chopped to 3 – 4 cm in length (adjust quantity according to volume yielded)
10 – 12 dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in hot water for at least ½ hour), sliced
1 can baby corn, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 piece ginger (3 – 4 cm long), grated or finely chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 layers rice noodles (or 250 g)
Water as needed to make soup


  • Place rice noodles in a big bowl of cold water. Allow to soak for 45 minutes. (Do not over-soak. It’s preferable to leave them slightly crisp).
  • In a non-stick deep pan or wok, add 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce and half a glass of water or mushroom water*.
  • Add sliced mushrooms and allow to simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat.
  • Add carrots, baby corn and ginger.
  • Cook for 7 – 10 minutes or until carrots are tender (but not completely soft).
  • Mix the cornstarch in a little cold water.
  • Add this to the pan. Stir and mix well. Sauce will thicken. Add more water or mushroom water (if left) as required. The amount of sauce here doesn’t really matter as this will become a soup anyway.
You can also leave this quite thick if you want to keep the vegetables separate from the bouillon. It might be better for storing left-overs in this way.


To make bouillon:

  • In another pan, bring 4 bowls (serving size) of water to boil.
  • Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with some cold water. Add this to the water.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • Add noodles and greens. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes.

To serve, place noodles in serving bowl, top with the vegetable stir fry and add a few large spoonfuls of bouillon together with the greens.

Add bean sprouts and a dash of fresh lemon juice if you like a tangy taste.

Optional: adding 1 tablespoon of miso paste to the soup in the serving bowl is also quite nice.

This soup can also be made in less time if you use fresh mushrooms or canned ones (you won’t have to allow for soaking time). You can also just add the dry rice noodles to the bouillon and boil for a little longer.

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*mushroom water - this is the water that is used to soak the mushrooms in. It gives a nice flavour to the soup.

11 comments:

  1. I could use something awesome and colorful like that today!

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  2. I want to include at least one soup every week in my meals, and I love this one! I've sprouted mung beans before, so... I'll start sprouting when I come bake home!

    On your question about paella: I add the rice completely uncooked, I don't know the name, but it's short round rice.

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  3. You have such a nice blog. It kinda help me a lot actually, as im learning to cook veg food. Keep it up.

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  4. Mmm, we've had stew or soup four or five times in the past week!

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  5. very nice blog with many helpful recipes. i'm glad i found it.

    check out-
    http://www.gatheringhome.com/

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  6. celine: I love colourful foods. They're more appealing to eat!

    alice: Thanks for the info about the rice. I'll try that recipe.
    And yes, this soup is nice and light enough to eat on a warm day too!

    ashish: I hope you'll enjoy your veg cooking!

    theresa: I also love soups and could have it a few times a week as well. They are nice for lunch the next day too!

    patty: Thanks for stopping by. Your blog has some nice interesting tips. I sure will visit again.

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  7. This looks SO yummie and GOOD!! I will be visiting your blog more often to get great ideas.

    Best wishes.

    Sincerely,

    -Liane Schmidt.

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  8. Your cooking always looks so yummy and healthy - I love noodle soup, so I'll definitely be giving this recipe a go. If you ever need a recipe tester, you know where to come... !

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  9. liane schmidt: Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you like the recipes!

    dj: thanks for volunteering to be my tester! I'm shyly flattered. :)

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  10. wow, what an informative, lively and peaceful blog. I didn't really knew much about vegan until you told me more and i started seeing someone who was vegan. I've use this to cook something for her, shes loves the blog and shes on it everyday. Keep it up cousin
    Kam

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  11. Kam, I'm surprised to find you on here! Nice to have some family following this blog too! Let me know if you try other recipes! Welcome to the vegan world! :)

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Your comments make my heart flutter even if you are just saying hi. Thank you for visiting Veganlovlie! :)

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