15 min Chinese Vegetable Soup!

Now that autumn is giving way to cold wintery days, this Chinese  Vegetable soup will come in handy. Yes, it can be whipped up in 15 mins if you have all the ingredients ready. Quick and easy! Vegan and gluten free, this soup is pretty versatile too in that you can just throw in any vegetables you have in your fridge. Serve it with a small serving of brown rice or even quinoa and you have a protein-packed (tofu, peanuts) belly-filling meal. This is quite a straighforward recipe which doesn't require step by step photos. 

Ingredients (Serves 4 as a side soup or 2 as a main meal)

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 heaped tsp ginger, minced or pounded
• 2 heaped tsps mushroom powder (See pic below)
• 1 tsp sambal oelek  (see pic below) or sirarcha sauce
• 3 cups of water
• 1/4 of a large zucchini, cut into chunks
• 6 snow peas deveined and cut into 2
• 1/4 of a green/ yellow capsicum, cut into large chunks
• 10 heads of shimeji mushrooms
• 8 cherry tomatoes cut into 2
• 1 cup boiled peanuts
• 1 block of silken tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp corn flour mixed with 1/2 cup water
• some sesame seeds and a sprig of coriander leaves to garnish
• a small serving of sliced bird's eye chilli in soy sauce and green chilli in vinegar on the side ​

Method
1. Heat a medium sized saucepot and fry the pounded ginger.

2) Add in the mushroom powder and sambal oelek.

3) Now, pour in 3 cups of water and add the hardier vegetables like zucchini, snow peas and capsicum first. Let the soup boil then reduce fire and let it simmer for 5 mins.

4) After 5 mins, add in the cherry tomatoes, shimeji mushrooms and peanuts. Boil again for another 5 mins. 

5) Lastly add in the silken tofu and stir. Cook for another 2-3mins on low heat. 

6) ​Add the corn flour mix and let the soup thicken. This will happen instantly.

7) Serve warm garnished with sesame seeds and coriander leaves. 
(222nd Recipe)