With pea tips (da/wan dou miao in Mandarin) in pureed and sauteed form, you're doubling down on the flavor of the remarkably tasty Asian green. Check the main blog post on sourcing the veggie.
Course: Soup
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3tablespoonsbutter or olive oil
1small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
10ouncesyellow or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1 large(6 ounce) carrot, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
2 large ribscelery, coarsely chopped (3 ounces total)
1poundpea tips
Shimichi togarashi, chile oil (see Note), or chili crisp, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Fine sea salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
Instructions
In a 3 to 4-quart pot over medium-low heat, melt 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter. Let cook for a minute or so, until fragrant and dark blonde. (If using oil, heat it over medium heat until barely rippling.) Add the onion and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until soft and aromatic. Add the potato, carrot, celery, and ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt. Give things good stir, then add water to cover by 1 inch (or enough water for some of the veggies to float).
Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until the carrot and potato are soft enough to be crushed or split when pressed against the wall of the pan with a spoon.
Add 6 ounces of pea tips. Stir, and after they soften and collapse in the pot, turn off the heat. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered. Using a blender, whirl the sou in batches to a smooth texture. The soup will have specks of green from the pea tips. If the texture is too thick, splash in water. Season with extra sea salt, if needed.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining butter (or oil). Add the garlic and cook for 20 to 30 seconds until aromatic. Dump in the pea tips and sprinkle with sea salt to lightly season. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until softened and cooked to a rich dark green color. Turn off the heat.
Divide the pea tips between soup bowls, arranging them as a tall pile in the center. Pour the soup around the pea tips. Sprinkle on the togarashi (or drizzle on the chile oil or chili crisp), and add 1 pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately and tell diners to mix things up to eat.
Notes
The soup is great hot or warm. Refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat with a splash of water.Make your own fantastic chile oil with this easy recipe.A blender yields the smoothest texture. Use a processor for a slightly coarser, more rustic result. Variations: Add a splash of cream, half and half, or milk (dairy or non-dairy) to enrich. To include shrimp to the bowl, cut 4 ounces of shelled and deveined extra-large shrimp into chunks or halved them symmetrically so they'll turn into corkscrews (see this page for a video tip). Cook them in the skillet before or after sauteing the pea tips. Use a nubbin of butter plus sprinkling of salt. Add them to the bowl after you've poured in the soup so they will peek out a bit.