Thai-style simple soup

Going meat-free? Try this vegetarian, Thai-style simple soup. 

As this is Thai-style simple soup is vegetarian, you can use a bought vegetable stock bouillon, but it’s best if you make your own vegetable stock by simmering an onion or two, a head of garlic plus a  bunch of trimmings from white or asian cabbage, spring onions, ginger and a bit of celery for 20 to 30 minutes.

Ingredients (serves 4)

200g morning glory, cut into 3in lengths

1L vegetable stock, ideally homemade

1.5 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp white sugar

A pinch of ground white pepper

4 tbsp light soy sauce

200g mixed Asian mushrooms, such as shimeji, oyster or king oyster, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces

2in of ginger cut into batons (julienne)

4 spring onions, finely sliced

Approx 250g silken tofu

1 tbsp deep-fried garlic in oil (see below for method)

A few picked coriander leaves

Method

First blanch the morning glory: bring a pot of water to a rapid boil, add a pinch of salt, then throw in the morning glory. Boil for 30 seconds, drain and refresh under cool running water, draining again and setting aside for later.

Bring the veg stock to the boil.  Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce and white pepper.

Add the mushrooms and simmer for about five minutes.

Take four soup bowls and divide between them the ginger batons, sliced spring onion, blanched morning glory and spooned chunks of the silken tofu.  Add a teaspoon of fried garlic in oil to each bowl and then ladle over the mushroom and soup stock.

Garnish with coriander leaves, and serve.

To make the fried garlic in oil, pound six garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar until a fairly fine paste (or finely chop) then fry in four tablespoons of plain oil until light golden in colour. Drain the garlic, reserving the oil.  When the oil has cooled, return the garlic.  This will keep for two weeks in a sealed container.

Recipe courtesy of Singha Beer