Chinese Angel Hair, Green Pea and Tender
Tofu Soup Recipe
Chinese angel hair or black moss fungus,
is known among the Vietnamese Chinese who has migrated from China, for its
blood-building properties, and as a tonic food that turns grey hair black
again. It's also a delicious food with a delicate herbal flavor and chewy
texture. Here it's combined with tofu and green peas to make a tasty,
nourishing soup that's easy to prepare.
Ingredients :
Serves 4
1
liter
1/2 teaspoon
1
1
cake
80 g
1
handful
3
teaspoons
2
teaspoons
2
Vegetarian soup stock, or plain water
Salt
Medium carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 cm cubes
Soft tofu (about 200 g), cut into 1/2 cm cubes
Fresh or frozen green peas
Dried black moss fungus,
washed and soaked 10 minutes in cool water
Cornflour, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
Sesame oil
Spring onions, chopped, for garnishing
Method :
Bring the stock or water to a full boil
with the salt.
Add the diced carrot and tofu, cover,
reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the green peas and fungus to the soup,
cover and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
Stir the cornflour mixture into the soup.
The soup will thicken as it returns to the boil.
Drizzle in the sesame oil, add the spring
onions, stir and turn off heat.
Ladle into individual bowls and serve.
This soup goes well with a dash of ground
black or Sichuan peppercorn. Another nice embellishment is to add a
small handful of very fresh mung bean sprouts to each serving bowl
before lading in the soup, this adds both fresh flavor and a pleasant
crunch to the texture.
