Results tagged “Asian ingredients” from iVillage - Food Rush
One of my latest favorite food finds: miso paste. I was at the Japanese grocery store, planning to make a pot of Kitchen Sink Soup, and I thought, hey, I'll put in some miso to add extra flavor. When I got home, I realized that to make soup with miso, all you do is stir the paste into hot water -- you don't even need to start with stock or broth -- which makes it extremely economical, too. A container costs just a few dollars, and you only need a couple of tablespoons or so for a pot of soup. Generally made from fermented soy, miso has a salty, earthy flavor with just a hint of sweetness; there are lots of varieties out there, though, so expermient with different types and brands to find one you like (look for it in your Asian grocery store or international section of your supermarket). It's supposed to be great in sauces and marinades too, so I'm looking forward to experimenting with it...as well as making lots more soup.
I recently read an article in the New York Times about how much food we waste in America, despite rising food costs at home and increasing food shortages abroad. Apparently, each American wastes an average of a pound of food every day. Frankly, I'm not surprised. I think about the huge restaurant portions that get partially eaten and then tossed, the leftover ingredients we'd throw out at culinary school, the moldy strawberries I found in my fridge the other day and discarded. So last night I decided it was time for Kitchen Sink Soup, the sequel.
I still had some kale, ginger and tofu, so I added those to my pot of chicken broth, along with bok choy, mung bean sprouts and lots of spicy, vinegary kimchee (luckily I'd picked some up over the weekend). I also stirred in a stray egg that was floating around in my fridge (hint: if you break up a raw egg in a separate bowl and drizzle it into your boiling soup while stirring, it'll create little strands of cooked egg like you'll find in Chinese egg drop soup). I ended up using most of the fresh produce in my fridge that would have gone bad in a couple of days. It might not seem like much, but at least I haven't added to that growing food landfill in America -- for one night, anyway.
In a sudden fit of trying to be healthy, I bought a bunch of veggies and tofu a few days ago -- kale, Swiss chard, Napa cabbage, asparagus and more. The thing is, I've been going out to dinner every night since then. Last night I finally stayed in and realized that the only way I was going to eat everything before it spoiled was to make a big pot of soup.
I love making soups, because they're so easy and you can make them up as you go along. I like to cook a big pot for the week and have some whenever I'm in the mood; also, a lot of soups taste better the longer they sit. I start with a base of chicken broth (I used 3 quarts last night) and toss in whatever I feel like. Last night, I added some sliced fresh ginger, chopped Napa cabbage, chopped green chard, shiitake mushrooms, cubed tofu and chickpeas -- a mostly Asian theme. I also added soy sauce, salt, and -- the secret weapon -- Chinese chili garlic sauce to make it nice and spicy. You could add or subtract pretty much anything: sliced chicken or pork, shrimp, Asian noodles, bok choy...I love to include fresh bean sprouts for their crisp, juicy texture. Korean kimchee (available in Asian markets) is another favorite soup ingredient -- it adds a lot of heat and a wonderful, tangy flavor.
So the next time you've got a bunch of fresh ingredients that you don't know what to do with, try turning them into a big ol' pot of soup. Experiment with seasonings and ingredients, and you'll be surprised by the delicious recipes you end up creating.
