Weighing dried shiitake ensures you have enough flavor. If you have MSG or Asian mushroom seasoning granules, use a little to send the soup over the top.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: soup, vegan
Servings: 4
Ingredients
6 ½cupswater,plus more as needed
3by 4-inch piece kombu
½ouncedried shiitake mushroom
36dried lily bulbs,knobby ends trimmed
1carrot,cut into matchsticks
2tablespoonsneutral oil,such as canola
½medium yellow onion,thinly sliced
1 ½teaspoonspacked minced fresh ginger
Fine sea salt
1 ½tablespoonsregular soy sauce
1tablespoonShaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
MSG or Asian mushroom granules(optional)
16ouncessilken tofu
About ¾ teaspoon white pepper
¼cupcornstarch
About 2 tablespoons Chinkiang or apple cider vinegar,or 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic plus ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1cupchopped green onions,green parts only
Instructions
In a 3- or 4-quart pot, combine the water, kombu, shiitake mushroom, and lily buds. Set aside for at least 6 hours to fully rehydrate, or up to overnight. After the dry ingredients have sufficiently soaked, retrieve the solids. Thinly slice the kombu into 2 to 3-inch strips. Thinly slice the shiitake caps and any stems that are not too chewy. Set aside with the lily buds and carrot.
Set the pot of broth over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat. When barely rippling, add the onion and then cook, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and sweetly fragrant. Add the kombu, mushroom, lily buds, carrot, and ginger. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, soy sauce, and rice wine. Stir, and cook for about 2 minutes to develop a bit of flavor and then scrape into the broth pot.
Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat to gently boil, and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes to meld and develop flavor. Add the white pepper. Taste and season with about ¼ teaspoon MSG, ½ teaspoon mushroom seasoning granules, or extra salt.
Pour off any water from the tofu. Transfer to a bow (or keep in the tub) and use a fork to break it up into a curd-like texture resemble eggy bits (watch the video if you need an assist). Add to the soup. Bring to a gently boil.
Meanwhile, combine the ¼ cup of cornstarch with ¼ cup water, stirring to dissolve. When the soup has bubbly action, gradually stir the cornstarch into the soup. You may not need the entire amount to create a silky, thick finish with the tofu suspended in the liquid.
Turn off the heat and stir in the green onion and vinegar (see Note if serving over days). Retaste to check the savory, pungent heat in the soup, adding extra white pepper and, if needed, extra salt, MSG or mushroom granules. Ladle into a serving bowl or individual soup bowls and serve!
Notes
See the main blog post for a lily bulb substitutes.The vinegar’s brightness shines when added at the last moment. Hold off if you plan to serve over days. Also, instead of stirring the vinegar into the soup, put ½ teaspoon vinegar into each bowl then ladle in the soup.