Simple Willow Mushroom 'N' Solomon's Seal Soup

In 2010, most likely I will be very busy and posting very few recipes. I still have 10-20 veg*n dishes on my recipe to-do list which I guess when time permit then I will post and share with all. Really appreciate the lovely comments, the encouraging emails etc that I received regarding this blog.  Here is an herbal soup recipe which I done last year to share.

Spot some fresh willow mushroom (tea tree mushroom) - 150g @ $$2.55, at the supermarket last year and could not resist buying this unique mushroom. And use it to whip up this quick and simple soup. The willow mushroom imparts a unique flavour to this soup. Add some dried mushroom if desired, it will gives this soup a much stronger flavour and darker shade.  You can opt to boil this soup longer but remember to increase the amount of water when needed.  

Preparation:     10 mins Cooking time:  20 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         150g fresh willow mushroom, base trimmed

°         10g solomon's seal/yu zhu

°         6 seedless red dates

°         1 slice ginger (optional)

°         3/4 tablespoon wolfberries, soaked

°         750ml water or vegetable stock

°         salt and pepper to taste

°         granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

°         some fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Method

1.      Place willow mushroom, solomon's seal, red dates, ginger and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

2.      Throw in the wolfberries and season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.

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

Brown Rice with Wolfberries

Wolfberries have antioxidant qualities, nourish the yin, strengthen the eyes, and help support the kidneys, liver and blood. It is commonly use in Traditional Herbal Soup.

I added wolfberries to the brown rice, to make it more nutritious. For each bowl of rice, I add 1 teaspoon of wolfberries, you may add more, if desired. Nothing too difficult, throw in the wolfberries when washing the rice and the rest is as per normal way of cooking rice.

Herbal Soup (Liu Wei Tang)

This is one of the herbal soups that improves appetite, revitalizes the spleen, relieves heatiness and enhances the “YING” energy. It is really simple to cook and there no need to add any mock meat or vegetables, as the ingredients used, made this a sweet and delicious herbal soup which suits everyone including children palate. Just remember to soak the ingredients for few hours to speed up the cooking process.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 1 packet herbal soup (FairPrice - Liu Wei Tang)
° 1.5 litres water
° salt, to taste

Method
1. Rinse all the ingredients and soak for 3-4 hours.
2. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and serve hot.

Vegetarian Bak Kut Teh (Vegetables Version)

With all these instant sachets, it makes cooking so much easier and it does not require any special culinary skill at all. I used to get the vegetarian bak kut teh pack that comes with herbal sachet and the mock meats which taste equally good. However, I don’t really like eating so much mock meats.

Now, I finally found the A1 vegetarian bak kut teh sachet that suits my palate. By using lotus roots instead of mock meats and increase the vegetables intake by adding rocket leaves, tang-O or lettuce, I can have vegetarian bak kut teh which consists of vegetables. For a quicker version, use shiitake mushrooms, beancurd puffs, as these ingredients take a shorter time to cook. Few pieces of mock meats can be added, if desired. This soup goes well with rice and a plate of freshly sliced red chilli with light soy sauce. Use this soup for noodle, you can have a bowl of vegetarian bak kut the mee.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 1 sachet A1 vegetarian bak kut teh
° 200g lotus root, thinly sliced
° 3-5 cloves garlic
° 1.25 litres water
° 100g rocket leaves or tang-O or Chinese lettuce, torn into big pieces
° salt and pepper, to taste
° light soy sauce, to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place the vegetarian bak kut teh sachet, lotus root, garlic and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 25-30 minutes or until the lotus is tender. Add in the rocket leaves or tang-O or lettuce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and light soy sauce.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Quick American Ginseng Soup

I bought a packet of Yew Chian Haw America Ginseng Soup at Fairprice few days back. The ingredients consist of American Ginseng, Rhizoma Polygonati Odorati, Fructus Lycii, Rhizonma Dioscorea Batatas, Euphoria Longan, Fructus Ziziphi Jujubee. As the ingredients are mostly in grounded form within the sachet and it is appropriate to use it to make quick herbal soup. To optimize the flavour and goodness from the herbal sachet, the soup can be simmered longer or prepared in the morning and re-heat prior to serving at lunch or dinner.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 1 sachet Yew Chian Haw America Ginseng Soup
° 1-1.25 litres water
° 125g-150g king oyster mushroom, sliced or cut into small chunks
° salt, to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot and continually boil for 15-20 minutes or until all the mushrooms are tender. Season to taste with salt.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.

Herbal Soup (Ren Shen Dun ‘Ji’ Tang)

If you enjoy herbal soup, here is one that improves complexion, stamina and helps to rejuvenate the body. Instead of using mock meat, you may want to use king oyster mushroom or lotus root or the combination of both for this soup. Alternatively, just boil the herbs and season to taste with salt. There are many herbal soup packs in the market, some come in sachet (in powder form sachet) and some are real herbs. Just remember to check the ingredients, for some using flavour enhancer which might derive from dried fish or seaweed.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 55 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 1 packet herbal soup (FairPrice - Ren Shen Dun Ji Tang)
° 1.5 litres water
° 100g king oyster mushroom, sliced or cut into chunks
° 100g lotus root, peeled and thinly sliced
° salt, to taste
° pepper (optional), to taste
° a small handful fresh chopped spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place all the ingredients and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes or until all the lotus root and king oyster mushroom are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve hot.