MUSHROOM & TOFU SOUP

By BobD

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 inch fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced
• 2 cups mushroom broth (see recipe)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar or white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon chili-pepper sauce or Chinese chili-pepper paste
• 4 cups cooked cellophane noodles or angle-hair pasta
• 2 cakes tofu
• 1 bunch coriander, minced
• 8 scallions, minced

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from events.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Warm the sesame oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add the shallots and gingerroot and saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the two broths, soy sauce, vinegar and chili-pepper sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cook the noodles until tender, drain, cool under running water and add to the broth. Cut the tofu cakes into 1/2-inch squares and add, along with the coriander. Simmer for 1 minute, ladle into large soup bowls and serve, garnished with minced scallions.

Mushroom Broth

Stems from 6 pounds of mushrooms
1 small white onion
1 teaspoon soy sauce
4 black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Place all the ingredients in a soup pot. Cover with half a gallon of cold water, place over low heat and simmer for 2 hours, until the liquid has reduced by half. Strain, cool and refrigerate.

YIELD One quart