Quick Pumpkin 'N' Mushroom Soup II

Using almost the same ingredients from the previous post - Quick Pumpkin 'N' Mushroom Soup. It is thicker, as I make use of the  left over radish and carrot (for the vegetable stock), to make it into a puree and omit the corn starch.  Pumpkin and Winter Melon puree will give a different texture consistency.

Quick Pumpkin 'N' Mushroom Soup

GONG XI FA CAI - Toast to a year of Prosperity, Health and Good Fortune! 

We had a delectable CNY Set meal @ Whole Earth Vegetarian Restaruant, early this month. They have a delectable Doubleboilded Golden Pumpkin Sharksfin Soup (Photo of Whole Earth's Golden Pumpkin Sharkfin) which my young man loves it so much. As this is special sharkfin soup in the restaurant that comes with the CNY Set, I can't just order this dish alone, I guess.

So, I cooked this simplified version for my young man. The taste is not exactly the same as I omit lots of other ingredients which the restaurant used, are rather expensive during Chinese New Year period, like the Vegetarian Shark Fin cost $12.50 instead of $8.50 few months back. And I don't really want to keep so much ingredients in my already pack refrigerator, therefore, simplified it. Add in more ingredients, if desired, just ensure ingredients balanced well.

Preparation:     10 mins, Cooking time:  25 mins 

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g pumpkin (weight after peeling), small chunks

°         50g shitake mushroom, sliced

°         50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed

°         500ml water or vegetable stock

°         1 piece (25g) vegetarian ham, sliced thinly

°         salt and pepper to taste

°         granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

°         1½ teaspoon corn starch, mix with 1 tablespoon water

°         some coriander,  for garnish

Method

1.      Place the pumpkin in a steamer and steam for 5-10 minutes or until tender.

2.      Transfer to a blender or food processor and add in water or vegetable stock. Blend until smooth and creamy.

3.      Place the mushrooms, vegetarian ham and pumpkin puree in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, granulated mushroom bouillon and thicken with corn starch.

4.      Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

To my Dearest Readers ...

Dearest Readers

Whether you are vegetarian or semi-vegetarian or non-vegetarian or just one time visitor or returning visitors from all over the world (as far as Russia, Bahrain, South Africa, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Mexico etc), thank you very much for visiting my blog.

Sometime, I received emails from non-vegetarians asking for permission to have a particular photograph on my blog for their web (which could be totally unrelated to vegetarianism - gardening on lily bud), ebook etc, it really make me really happy that you like my photo.  Of course, it is not a problem at all.

In May 2009, a reader asked me for the photo of Sterculia Seeds but I find my previous photograph wasn't that nice and happened to find some sterculia seeds at home and have some time on hand. So, I soaked and took some photo and send to her.  In the process, not to waste those soaked sterculia seeds, it triggered some new recipes with sterculia as an ingredient - http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

Today, I find another email from Tịnh Tâm in Vietnam (below) in my "In Box" to use the recipes. Yes, it is not an issue at all, ALL ARE WELCOME (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) to take any recipes or photographs you like or of any use.  


It is Free and for Sharing - Free Photograph, Free Recipes, if you like, maybe just have a tiny acknowledgment of my blog otherwise, it is fine with me.

As all my recipes are quite "raw" due to time constraint (also some typo errors), please feel free to modify them and I am sure you will be able to generate something great and unique. I need to thank Tịnh Tâm for this in her email -" The more i searching your site, the more i found alot of interesting ".

While playing with the recipe even under time-constraints and skipping lots of stuff -  I discover this - The Universe of Vegetarian Cuisine is so vast and yet undiscovered …  So, I believe more others would be able to bring out the beautiful of Vegetarian Cuisine, just as any other cuisine where everyone on earth can enjoy not just for vegetarian ...

Tịnh Tâm, thank you very much for taking the effort in translating the recipes into Vietnamese, it definitely make more sense than using the "translation" tool on the web. When I chance upon my blog link in Taiwanese website, the translation via a tool, make the whole message funny.

As I am going to be very busy, I will only share more recipes which time permits : )

Have a lovely day.

Cheers crystal

Email from my blog reader - Tịnh Tâm :-

"

Hi Sister,

When i first found your site two weeks ago, i translated some into Vietnamese as a gift for my mom, help her have more ideas in cooking vegetarian/vegan food. While doing that, i posted some on the blog to share with some friends can't understand English.

The more i searching your site, the more i found alot of interesting ideas. So i would like to ask your permission if i can translate your recipes into Vietnamese and post on the http://anchaythoidaimoi.blogspot.com/ to share with Vietnanese community for those can't read or understand English?

With the vegetarian/vegan trend nowadays in order to help environment, decrease the hunger, and so on, i hope more people eating vegetaian woud be very ideal. Thank you a million times for your time preparing food, energy, and love.

anchaythoidaimoi "

Mee Suah in Thunder Tea Rice Broth

Happy Lunar New Year!

 May All be well, happy and prosperous ...

January gone! and it is now February 2010, getting near to Chinese New Year which is on 14 February! I still have not started working on any of my to-do list.  Busy and will be very very busy, as I fallen in love with -  Doing Nothing at all and trying too enjoy the Sound of Silence ...

What I had for lunch yesterday was just a bowl of Simple Mee Suah in Thunder Tea Rice Broth! I got the handmade Mee Suah (product of malaysia) from someone quite awhile ago and still have not finished the pack.  Just throw the mee suah in boiling water to cook it for a minutes or two and then transfer to the piping hot Thunder Tea Rice Broth, garnish with some coriander leaf and chilli if desired.

Too plain? Add something to it - blanched shimeji mushroom maybe! Or some veggies!