Asian Cabbage Soup

Submitted by Sharon123

"Slowly caramelized onions with lots of garlic and a mushroom stock give this thick soup it depth of flavor. If you like, stir a few drops of toasted sesame oil into each bowl. Enjoy! Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• Asian stock

• 6 cups water
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup scallion top (green parts)
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced daikon radish (or use red radish)
• 8 -10 thin slices fresh gingerroot

• Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon peeled grated fresh gingerroot
• 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (recommend napa or savoy cabbage)
• 1 cup sliced carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1 teaspoon chili paste (Chinese is best)
• 2 -3 tablespoons soy sauce (or to taste)
• hijiki seaweed (to garnish) or sliced scallion (to garnish)

directions

1. In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water and the mushrooms to a boil. Remove from heat and soak for 15-20 minutes until softened. Strain the soaking liquid into a 2 quart pot and set the shiitake mushrooms aside.
2. Add the remaining 4 cups water, scallions, carrots, radish, and ginger to the soaking liquid.
3. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 30 minutes. Strain and return the stock to the soup pot.
4. While the stock is simmering, heat oil in a heavy skillet(or wok) and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are browned well(don't burn!). Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes.
5. Mix in ginger, cabbage, and carrots. Cook, stir often until cabbage is limp and crisp tender, about 10 minutes. Add the veggies to the strained stock and stir in the chili paste and soy sauce.
6. Remove and discard the shiitake stems. Thinly slice the caps, add them to the soup, and reheat until just boiling.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the hijiki seaweed or scallions, or both. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Tiffany W.]

I usually like all these ingredients, but something about the combo just wasn't for me. The broth was too much on the ginger/chilli side, the other flavours were over powered. I might give this a try again but just cut out the chili and cut the ginger down.

 

[Kathy228]

Very good. I used an Asian green radish and instead of olive oil, I used sesame oil. Other than that, no changes. For the cabbage I used curly Chinese cabbage. The taste is delicate as Asian soup should be. I liked this a lot and will make it again. Thanks for posting!

 

[2Bleu]

This was very well liked. We enjoyed the authentic Asian flair to this recipe. Next time we would add more mushrooms though that would be the only change we would make. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

 

[Reama B.]

I made this recipe and tweaked it straight out the gate so that i could use up all my ingredients. Proportions stayed pretty much the same with a few exceptions. In my mushroom base broth I added four 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth after letting the mushrooms soak and gently boiled it for the full 30 minutes. I also added some shimeji mushrooms at the very end once I had turned the stove off and let them warm up in the broth. I used a higher ratio of daikon and onion, too, and added a bit of sesame oil. When straining I made sure to smash the veggies of the broth base against the colander for max flavor. Overall it made a really great broth with nice flavors. I could see using a broth like this for a ramen or wonton soup. I used all the ginger called for and double the chili pepper paste. I also added a little bit of soy sauce. I'll definitely make this again.