I spent almost my entire life in the United States, so while I like Chinese food, I’m not particularly experienced with making it. After I developed an interest in cooking, I regretted not having taken advantage of my time at home. The following is a Chinese INSPIRED soup that I adapted from several other recipes (and what was hanging around in my kitchen). It’s good!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lb pork rib tips (I used a lot of meat in this, 1 lb will suffice)
- 2 very large or 3 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 10 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 can sweet corn
- 3 cloves garlic (I used tubed)
- 1 inch ginger (I used tubed)
- 2 tbs canola oil (any neutral oil will do)
- Salt to taste
- Chinese vermicelli, if using
TOOLS:
- 5.5 qt+ pot
- Spatula
- Peeler
- Knife and board
- Bowls and plates
- Ladle
INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop up the carrots (peel first) and onions into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Peel the ginger with a spoon and slice into 4 large pieces. Dice the ginger.
- Put dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. After 2-3 minutes, drain.
- If using fresh ginger, add the ginger pieces to the hot oil until lightly browned, and then discard.
- Sauté the onions in the oil until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- If using tube ginger and garlic like I am, ignore #3 and #5. Add about 1 tbs of each to the onions once they are translucent.
- Once it sizzles, quickly add in all the pork and stir to brown. You will not even come close to browning all the pieces, the goal is to get SOME caramelization on the meat.
- Once you get bored of browning the meat, add the mushrooms, carrots, and about 7-8 cups of water to the pot.
- Bring to a rolling boil, and then turn it down to low (not simmer, I was in a rush) for an hour.
- Once the meat is done, stir in the canned corn.
- If using Chinese vermicelli add to the pot for about 4 minutes, and then remove into your bowl.
- Ladle the goods over the top and eat up!
Maddy's Kitchen 