We have been eating this abc vegetable soup from childhood. Although not sure where it comes from, but this simple vegetable soup obtains high popularity in winter days. Chinese people love to cook soup with all kinds of meat. Chicken, pork bones, ribs, beef and lamb are very common winter soup ingredients. And sometimes we cook vegetable soup too when there are too many oily stir-frying or steaming dishes. Vegetables soup can make the body warm too with lower fat.

This is my customized version since I add some shiitake mushrooms. Traditional Chinese ABC vegetable soup contains tomato, carrot and potato. Onion, either red onion or sweet onion, and celery are added to enhance the flavor. Most of the flavors comes from tomatoes.

Cook’s Note

1. Choose mature and juicy tomatoes and I recommend remove the skins. Fry the tomatoes until very soft before adding water.
2. Coat the shiitake mushroom with some starch can make the mushroom to form a meat like texture. But this is completely optional.

Instructions

Add a cross cut on the surface of the tomatoes. Heat enough water in a deep pot until boiling. Place them in and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Peel off the skin and cut into very small cubes.

Heat oil in a pot, add ginger and tomatoes in. Fry over slow fire for 3-5 minutes until the tomato cubes becomes very soft and form a puree texture.

Add water in, bring to a boiling and simmer for 10 minutes over slowest fire. Place all the other vegetable in. Cook for another 10 minutes until all the vegetable are soft. 

Rinse the sliced shiitake mushroom under running water and then coat with cornstarch. Then place shiitake mushroom in if you using. 

Add salt, light soy sauce if you are using and ground pepper. Drizzle sesame oil in and serve hot. My favorite way is to serve this soup with all kinds of yummy pancakes. Following are some common options.

1. scallion pancake
2. Red bean paste pancake
3. Easy scallion pancake, directly from batter
4. Shredded potato pancake 

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Abc Vegetable Soup

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Warm and healthy ABC vegetable soup

Author: elaine

Ingredients

• 3 to matoes skin removed and cut into small cubes
• 2 slices of ginger
• 1 middle size potato peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 carrot peeled and cut into small pieces
• 2 celeries cut into small pieces
• 1/4 red onion cut into small pieces
• 2 shiitake mushroom remove the hard ends and sliced
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch optional
• 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce optional
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil

Instructions

1. Add a cross cut on the surface of the tomatoes. Heat enough water in a deep pot until boiling. Place them in and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Peel off the skin and cut into very small cubes.
3. Heat oil in a pot, add ginger and tomatoes in. Fry over slow fire for 3-5 minutes until the tomato cubes becomes very soft and form a puree texture.

4. Add water in, bring to a boiling and simmer for 10 minutes over slowest fire. Place all the other vegetable in. Cook for another 10 minutes until all the vegetable are soft. In the mean time, slice mushrooms and wet the mushroom slices and coat them with a thin layer of starch.

5. Place mushroom slices in if you are using. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add salt, light soy sauce if you are using and ground pepper. Drizzle sesame oil in and serve hot.