Clear Vegetable and Mushroom Soup
This delicate clear soup, featuring fresh vegetables and dashi broth, makes an elegant, healthy opener for Vietnamese Tế́t Festival or Chinese New Year gatherings. As featured in Cuisines du Monde, it's simple yet authentic.
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients: 150g very fresh small snow peas, 150g Chinese cabbage, 150g cooked or canned bamboo shoots, 150g enokitake mushrooms, 1 small bunch chives, 4 teaspoons rice wine, coarse salt.
For the dashi broth: 3 pieces kelp (konbu), 5g dried bonito (katsuobushi).
- Prepare the dashi broth (see below).
- String the snow peas. From the Chinese cabbage, take the tender heart leaves and slice into thin strips, 2-3mm wide by 4cm long.
- Rinse the bamboo shoots well, especially if canned. Cut into strips 2-3mm thick and about 4cm long.
- Trim the base from the enokitake mushrooms with a sharp knife. Handle gently—they're fragile and don't need washing.
- In a large pot, bring 3 liters water to a boil with 60g coarse salt. Blanch snow peas 1-2 minutes, then refresh under cold water and drain. Blanch cabbage strips for 30 seconds.
- Divide blanched vegetables, bamboo, mushrooms, chopped chives, and rice wine among 4 bowls. Pour hot dashi broth over and serve immediately.
Dashi Broth:
- Soak kelp in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain, pat dry gently, then place in a pot with 1 liter cold water. Heat slowly to a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove kelp with a slotted spoon. Add bonito flakes to the simmering liquid, stirring gently with a metal spoon. Let stand 10 minutes—the flakes will settle, infusing flavor. Avoid boiling to preserve delicacy.
- Strain broth through a fine sieve or clean cloth, ladle by ladle.
Source: Cuisines du Monde
