Tomato Soup with King Oyster Mushroom

Tomatoes were real cheap S$1 for 1kg. And tomatoes are rich in Vitamin A & C and contain Vitamin B too. Also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and dietary fibre. Therefore, I decided to make this tomato soup! It is pretty easy, give it a try. If you can’t find king oyster mushroom, you can substitute with toasted tempeh cubes, just add them in prior to serving. Silken Tofu is also another good choices …

Preparation: 10 mins Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 800g tomatoes
° 100g king oyster mushroom
° 2 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1½ tablespoon tomatoes sauce
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° salt and pepper to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° 1 tablespoon corn flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
° ½ sheet nori, toasted and shredded

Method
1. Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend well. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
3. Throw in the king oyster mushroom and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
4. Pour in the tomatoes puree and bring to a boil. Season to taste with tomatoes sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.
5. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with nori shreds and serve hot.

Dioscorea Root Soup

This is an easy-to-prepare clear and light soup. Fresh dioscorea root (淮山) can be easily purchased from the market or supermarket. It can be added to lotus soup, if desired. Dioscorea also helps strengthen improve lung function, benefiting the whole body. It is commonly used in formulations designed to relieve coughing due to weakened lungs. If you find this too plain, you can add some mock mutton or mock meat (some are vegan) or some wolfberries to add some lovely red colour to this soup.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g fresh dioscorea root, peeled and cut into section
° 125g carrot, peeled and cut into section
° 1 corn on the cob, cut into section
° 8 seedless red date
° 1 slice ginger
° 750ml water
° salt to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° ¾ teaspoon freshly chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish

Method
1. Place the dioscorea root, carrot, corn, red date, ginger and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes
2. Season to taste with salt and granulated mushroom bouillon.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve.

Winter Melon Miso Soup

I felt so happy after making this soup and it looks beautiful and colourful – the pink flower, the green spring onion, the brown mushroom – the colour of the nature. Well, I got the idea of adding winter melon in miso soup after reading the post on Gastronomy Shojin Ryori is rather simple to make even without vegetarian miso at home, I can use soya bean paste for replacement. Just remember, you have off the heat prior to adding miso paste or soya bean paste. Add ½ teaspoon of sake or cooking wine to the soup, if desired.

The pink flower is optional. I have radish and beetroot at home, so I use those to make these pink flowers. If you have cookies cutting, it will be much easier to cut the shape of the flower. By soaking in beetroot slice and a bit of the juice, it make a lovely pink flower using natural colouring.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 75g sharkfin melon shreds
° few kelps shreds
° 2 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked
° 1 slice ginger
° 2 slices radish (optional), peeled and cut into flower shape
° 2 slices beetroot (optional)
° 500ml water
° ¾ tablespoons soya bean paste or miso paste or to taste
° ½ teaspoon chopped spring onion or some fresh coriander leaves, for garnish
° ¼ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Method
1. Place all the sharkfin melon, ginger, kelps shreds, mushroom, radish and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the radish slice and soak with the beetroot slices for 5 minutes to make pink flower.
3. Add the soya bean paste or miso paste to the soup.
4. Ladle into individual serving bowls, place the radish flower, garnish with sesame seed, spring onion or coriander leaves, and serve.

White Fermented Beancurd Soup

There was a post on Zen in Moonpointer and it led to the talk of Shojin Ryori Cuisine! After viewing the beautiful photos of this cuisine at Moonpointer, I was real hungry! I wanted Shojin Ryori Cuisine!

So I decide to make something like what was in the Photo – White Miso Soup with Tofu (I think). Well, I don’t have white miso at that moment, so what I did was to replace it with white fermented beancurd and added wakame seaweed instead of using kelps, for a real quick one.

Ok, you may ask what is Shojin Ryori Cuisine? Well, Shojin Ryori Cuisine is a Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine (Vegan, in fact) which originated in Zen Temples around 13th century in Japan. Now, it is rarely found even in Japan but if you want to have to experience what Zen Food is like , there is one and only one place in Singapore that serves this cuisine - Enso Kitchen, which isn’t a restaurant nor temple but a mobile food ‘experience’. They make use of the premises of a resident restaurant which is closed on Sunday to serve lunch. I guess you need reservation and check their website for more info.

Preparation: 3 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1 teaspoon wakame seaweed
° 1 slice ginger
° 3 cubes preserved tofu or white fermented beancurd, mashed
° 500ml water
° few roasted sesame seeds
° ¼ teaspoon freshly chopped spring onion or fresh coriander leave(optional)

Method
1. Place the ginger, wakame seaweed, water in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in the mashed preserved tofu and add it. Mix well.
3. Transfer to a bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onions or coriander leave.
4. Serve hot.

Wakame Soup

I got a pack of dried wakame from Korea and decide to make this simple soup. Wakame is highly nutritious and calories free. In Korea, Wakame soup and oyster is traditionally eaten everyday to restore the health of women after childbirth. Replace oyster with soybean sprout and red dates can be added, if desired. You may increase the amount of ginger or sprinkle more pepper or sesame oil to mask the ‘fishy’ smell.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 25g dried wakame
° 100g soybean sprout
° 2-3 slices ginger
° 500ml water
° salt and pepper to taste
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place the dried wakame, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the beansprout with a slotted spoon and keep it for making seasoned soybean sprout.
2. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot.

Vegetarian Kimchi Stew with Tofu and Enoki

A tangy quick and easy-to-prepare soup. For a robust flavour, add more kimchi juice, dried chilli flakes. Enoki mushroom can be added prior to serving, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g vegetarian kimchi,
° 100g silken tofu, diced
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° 500ml water or vegetable stock
° 1 slice ginger
° 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian kimchi juice
° l tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar
° salt to taste
° 1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish
° dried chilli flake (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add in the vegetarian kimchi, tofu, enoki mushroom, kimchi juice and bring to a boil. Season to taste with light soy sauce, sugar and salt.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

Simple Mushroom and Veggie Hotpot

Simple vegetable and mushroom hotpot that I had during a recent tour. I would never have thought of using cucumber in hotpot and in here, trying to recreate it. Add some light soy sauce or granulated mushroom bouillon, if desired. With steaming hot rice, you can enjoy a fuss free and healthy meal.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g cucumber, sliced
° 50g endives, cut into chunks
° 50g carrot, peeled and sliced
° 50g king oyster mushroom, sliced
° 50g enoki mushroom, based trimmed
° 50g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced
° 100g silken tofu, cubed
° 750ml water
° 1 slice ginger
° salt and pepper, to taste
° dash sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Place the carrot, king oyster mushrooms, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add in the enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, cucumber, endives, tofu and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
3. Serve immediately.

Dried Lily Buds with Red Date and Mushroom Soup

This soup is real simple, quick to cook and yet scrumptious and full of nutrients. Dried lily bulbs have lots of protein, iron, vitamin A, some calcium and phosphorous. It also calms the nerves, revitalizes the blood and strengthens brain function too. With red dates, this soup helps to improve qi, boost blood circulation and calms the spirit as well.

It would be a good bowl of hot soup for confinement.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 25g dried lily bud, trimmed, soaked and knotted
° 8 seedless red dates
° 4 Chinese dried mushroom, soaked
° 1 slice ginger
° 500ml water or vegetable stock
° salt, to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° some coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place dried lily bud, red dates, mushrooms, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Season to taste with salt and granulated mushroom bouillon.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Quick Button Mushroom Clear Soup

This is an easy-to-prepare clear soup.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 4 white button mushrooms, sliced
° 8 slices carrot
° 8 snow peas, cut into small section
° 1 slice ginger
° 375ml water or vegetable stock
° salt and pepper to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place button mushrooms, carrot, ginger and water in a pot. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes
2. Add in the snow peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve.

Marrow Green Soup

Marrow Green Soup with Crab Mushroom

This is a simple, light and easy to cook soup. Crab mushroom or buna shimeji mushroom can be added if desired. To make it more interesting, serve this soup differently. Adding red dates are to make the soup sweet and balance the "coolness" of the "Yin" vegetable soup. Omit red dates, if desired. Ginger warmths is able to balance off the "coolness" of the vegetables.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 125g marrow green (weighs after cutting), peeled and cut into small chunks
° 50g carrot, peeled and cut into small chunks
° 9 button mushrooms
° 3 seedless red dates
° 2 slices ginger
° 750ml water
° ½ teaspoon olive oil
° salt and pepper, to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° 1 teaspoon chopped spring onion or coriander, for garnish

Method
1. Place the marrow green, carrot, mushrooms, red dates, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the marrow green is soft.
2. Season to taste with olive oil, salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.
3. Garnish with spring onion or coriander and serve hot.

Bitter Gourd and Soy Milk Soup

Hey, this is a simple soup and yet very healthy. If you do not like unsweetened soy milk, just use vegetable stock.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g bitter gourd, sliced
° 2 tomatoes, cut into 4 wedges
° 2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
° 100g enoki or golden needle mushrooms (optional), base trimmed
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries, soaked
° 6 slices ginger
° 250ml water or vegetable stock
° 250ml unsweetened soy milk
° salt and pepper, to taste
° dash sesame oil (optional)

Method
1. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the bitter gourd slices and mix well. Let it stands for 10-15 minutes and rinse off the salt. Drain well and set aside.
2. Place the ginger, water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Add in bitter gourd, tomatoes, mushrooms, soy milk and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Throw in the wolfberries and season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
4. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Vegetable Alfabeto Soup

This simple one-pot recipe is more for the kid who does not eat much vegetables. To attract them, the pasta used is alphabet pasta, they can learn their ABC at the same time. By using lots of different vegetables and tomato puree, this is a nutritious meal for the body and the mind (that ABC pasta!). Marmite is used here for Vitamin B12 which important in a Vegetarian Diet. Omit it, if you do not like the taste of marmite.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 25g alfabeto (pasta)
° 100g potato, peeled and diced
° 25g onion (optional), peeled and diced
° 50g celery, trimmed and diced
° 500ml water or vegetable stock
° 3 (150g) tomatoes, peeled and blended
° 75g frozen mixed vegetables
° 3 tablespoons tomatoes sauce, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon marmite
° 1 teaspoon sugar
° 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, mixed with 3 tablespoons water
° salt to taste
° pepper (optional), to taste

Method
1. Throw in the alfabeto, potato, onion, celery and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
2. Add in the mixed vegetable, tomatoes puree and bring to a boil. Season to taste with tomatoes sauce, marmite, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the tapioca flour mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Serve hot.

Watercress and Soy Milk Soup with Button Mushroom

Basically this recipe is almost the same as the previous recipe on watercress and soy milk soup with tofu added. For this, white button mushroom is used. As the mushroom requires slightly longer time to cook, it is been boiled in water or stock prior to adding soy milk. The unsweetened soy milk used is those from the supermarket which is much thicker than those from the wet market, therefore when water or stock is added to this soup, it will not be too diluted and tasteless.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g watercress
° 4 white button mushrooms, sliced
° 300ml water or vegetable stock
° 250ml unsweetened soy milk
° 8-10 slices ginger, peeled
° salt, to taste
° pepper, to taste

Method
1. Place the button mushrooms, ginger slices and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Add in soy milk and bring to a boil. Throw in the watercress and let it boils. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Watercress and Soy Milk Soup

This is a simple yet nutritious soup which can be cooked in minutes. It is healthy and quick to make. Lots of ginger is added which is same as those sweetened soymilk drink with ginger juice added to it. Reduce the amount of ginger, if desired. If you are using those unsweetened soy milk from the supermarket, dilute the soymilk with water or vegetable stock for a “light” soup, if desired.

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g watercress
° 500ml unsweetened soy milk
° 150g silken tofu (optional), diced
° 8-10 slices ginger, peeled
° salt, to taste
° pepper, to taste

Method
1. Place the ginger, soymilk in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add in watercress, tofu and turn off the heat when it boils. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Red Vegetable Soup

What is the real name for this vegetable? I don’t know. It is labeled as red vegetable and you can get it from the wet market and FairPrice Supermarket in Singapore. I remember my mom used to boil this quick soup with a salted egg. For this vegan recipe, I added some kelp to impart some flavour to the soup as I was not using any vegetable stock.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 220g red vegetable, stem discarded
° 6 dried kelps in knot
° 1-2 thin slices ginger
° 750ml water
° salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
2. Add in the red vegetable and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Serve hot.

Salted Vegetable and Tofu Soup

This is the Salted Vegetable (preserved mustard or pickled mustard or ham choy in Cantonese) and Tofu Soup recipe improvised from the Duck with Salted Vegetable Soup. My dad loved to boil soups using soft tofu/beancurd that is available from the wet market, not the Japanese Silken Tofu. He would spend hours slow cooking the soup until the tofu is full of little tiny holes insides (look something like Swiss cheeses). As a result, the tofu is very yummy, especially dipped with chilli sauce. If you like this, boil this soup a bit longer to get that special effect on the tofu.

Sour plum and assam slices can be added, if desired. There is no need to add any salt as the preserved mustard imparts its saltiness and sourness to the soup. This soup is a bit sour plus slightly peppery which can be really appetizing and is usually served with yam rice. It might not be a good idea to eat too much of the preserved mustard too often.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 200g salted preserved mustard, cut into pieces and blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes 400g soft beancurd/tofu, cut into 4-8 sections
° 4 tomatoes, cut into 4 wedges
° 2-3 slices ginger
° 1.25 litre water
° 1 tablespoon white peppercorn
° pepper to taste
° ½ teaspoon olive oil (optional)
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Place the salted preserved mustard, tofu, ginger, water and pepper corn in a pot. Bring to a boil and 30-45 minutes.
2. Throw in the tomatoes and bring to boil for 3 minutes. Season to taste with pepper and oil.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot.

Thunder Tea Rice Soup

Earlier, I have a recipe for Thunder Tea Rice Soup which is clear soup version . This recipe is more toward the traditional Thunder Tea Rice Soup, by blending the ingredients and adding them directly to the soup. So you can find tiny pieces of ingredients in the soup itself and it is quite nice.

I have omitted ngai, if you can get it but not too much. Depending how you like the soup, you can alter the proportion of the basil leaves, mint leaves and coriander, it definitely gives you slightly different flavour.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 25g basil leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 25g mint leaves (stems removed before weighing)
° 1 stalk (25g) coriander
° 1 slice ginger
° 500ml water
° salt, to taste
° ½ teaspoon green tea powder, or to taste
° 1-1½ teaspoons roasted/toasted white sesame seeds

Method
1. Place the basil leaves, mint leaves, coriander, and ginger in a blender with 125ml of water. Blend well and set aside.
2. Pour 375ml of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the vegetable puree and bring to a boil.
3. Season to taste with salt and stir in the green tea powder.
4. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, sprinkle some sesame seeds and serve hot.

Amaranth and Wolfberries Soup

Besides stir-frying amaranth, here is another way to cook this vegetable – use it to make a quick and simple soup. You may use carrot and corn to lend its sweetness to the soup. Remove the carrot and corn, if desired. The corn can be used to make corn with margarine and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
° 150g-200g amaranth/Chinese spinach
° 1 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 3 seedless red dates
° 750ml water
° salt, to taste

Method
1. Place the ginger, red dates and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add in the amaranth, wolfberries and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve hot.

Seaweed and Tofu Soup

This is a weekday friendly recipe.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 4-5 dried kelps in knot
° 2-3 slices ginger
° 500ml water
° 75g silken tofu, cut into cubes
° a small handful dried seaweed, rinsed
° salt and pepper to taste
° a small handful fresh coriander leaves or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard.
2. Throw in the tofu and dried seaweeds. Bring to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot.

Soybean Sprout Soup (Kongnamul-Guk)

Soybean Sprout Soup is a popular Korean side dish soup – Kongnamul-Guk. It is not at all difficult to cook. With few simple ingredients, you can enjoy a bowl of fresh and light soup. For this vegetarian/vegan version, I used kelps instead of anchovies. If it is too plain, just sprinkle some sesame oil, sesame seeds, Korean red pepper or dried chilli flake. Do not overcook the soybean sprout, it should have a crunchy texture.
Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g soybean sprout, trimmed
° 50g silken tofu, cut into cubes
° 5 dried kelps in knot
° 1-2 thin slices ginger
° 500ml water
° ½-1 teaspoon light soy sauce
° salt and pepper to taste
° 1 stalk fresh spring onion, cut into 4cm length

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard, if desired.
2. Add in the tofu, soybean sprout and bring to a boil. Off the fire and season to taste with light soy sauce, salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.