The Diary of a Displaced Housewife is now Life In Fuchsia…


'The Diary of the Displaced Housewife' is now 'Life in Fuschia'

Monday, June 14, 2010

Back to the Lazy Girl’s Series-Easy Oriental Soup


I try my best to eat healthy although it really is an uphill battle for someone who dreams in Chocolate and Technicolor! I sometimes rustle up this easy broth when I’m in a hurry. It makes for a flavorful and tasty lunch that’s not to high on the calorie chart. The added bonus is that you can get all your veggies into one meal. I make this on gloomy days when nothing but a huge bowl of steaming broth is essential for some soul lifting…

I have no measurements for this recipe as it’s one of  those fridge magnet recipes where I throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Egg and Tofu… very very good for you!

Life Is Always Better With A Bunny Bowl

Veggies With Noodles... So Slurp-alicious!


Easy Chinese Vegetable Broth

What you need:
Equal parts of chicken or vegetable stock and water
Evenly chopped vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, green peas, spinach, etc
Minced Garlic or Minced Ginger
Green Onions
Tofu - Optional
Eggs - Optional
Egg Noodles or any other whole-wheat alternative
Frozen Potstickers
Soy Sauce
Chili Flakes or if you wish for some added heat, you can use a splash of chili garlic sauce
Salt

Getting Down to Business:
Chop the green onions and separate the green parts from the white onion. Mix in the onion along with the remaining veggies you wish to use for the broth.
In a roomy pan, add in the stock and the vegetables. Also add in the minced garlic or ginger. Add in a little salt. Let the vegetables reach and boil and simmer till they’re cooked. You can also add the vegetables in a phased manner starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (like carrots and beans) and add in the ones that cook fast like green peas at the end.
If you are using a noodle of any kind, add it in when the vegetables are three fourths done and let it cook along.
Once your vegetables are uniformly cooked, add in the soy sauce, chili flakes or sauce, salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
Sprinkle on the reserved green leaves of the green onion and dig in!

Notes:
Add in the tofu if you are using it at the final stages of cooking to ensure it doesn’t disintegrate.
At the end, break in an egg if you wish into the broth and stir well. Ensure that the egg is cooked. To make things easier, you can beat the egg ahead of time and pour it into the broth for a shortcut to an egg drop broth!
If you wish to use pot stickers, or steamed wontons, add them in towards the end to avoid them breaking up. I love Trader Joe’s Gyoza and use them all the time. Do not let the potstickers thaw. Drop them in frozen and let them cook through.
If you wish to add chicken, slice the chicken meat into strips and keep aside. Heat some toasted sesame oil, add in the chicken and sauté for a few minutes. Following this step, proceed from the first step.
Avoid adding too many elements in your broth and overcrowding it… simple is best! You could do tofu and eggs or just the potstickers or wontons, etc.



21 comments:

  1. easy and healthy one..what u said is right all the veggies in one meal ..very easy and looks so delicious..i like this kind of healthy dish...good one

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have i mentioned how much i love the lazy girl series :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. You wrote this for me! I knew when I read the title! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The soup looks great but I have to say, I love the bunny bowl. Adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  5. A very wholesome and delicious Soup!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I cannot eat tofu but I'm sure that your soup is good!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The dish looks cute...tofu is my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @ Prani - Hi Prani! Thanks a ton! I love easy one pot meals like this!

    @ Wanderlust - Thank you! I really appreciate that! Here's a shout out to all us lazy girls :P

    @ Smriti - Of course I wrote it for you! It's dedicated all to you! What else would you like me to write for you!?

    @ Rick - Thanks! I heart the bunny bowl too... I know it's not easter but..hey! Anything to brighten my day! :)

    @ Rachana - Hi Rachana! Thanks ya! It's really easy too!

    @ Tania- Hi Tania! You can omit the tofu and make it to suit your tastes. There are no rules for this recipes and I believe you should customize everything to suit your tastes. If you have any questions, you can email me at thedisplacedhousewife@yahoo.com

    @ Angie - Hi Angie! I love dishes with a sense of humor.. makes life a tiny bit more interesting! I love tofu too!.. it's so versatile and so good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds like such a great base for so many variations! I love the Asian flavors you added and the easy way it all goes together.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love that bunny bowl! Too cute! The soup sounds great... I'd have to omit the optional eggs but I am a tofu addict so that will surely compensate!

    ReplyDelete
  11. For obvious reasons, I am a huge fan of the lazy girl series. Perhaps lazy girl and WDWW should do a joint post called Weeknight Dinners for the Lazy Working Woman? :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You have a lovely blog!

    Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment.

    Ruchi
    http://ruchisimplyfood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great dish! Sometimes you need those lazy girl ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  14. haha i know i had that moment too..lazy to cook and wanted to eat healthy. I threw everything i had in the fridge to make a soup!

    Love the bunny bowl!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sounds like a healthy and heart warming soup. I love the idea of throwing everything in it, so I can use my leftover veggies in the refrigerator.

    ReplyDelete
  16. geat bowl and tasty soup..

    sweetlife
    sweetlifebake.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. LOL, you throw in everything except the kitchen sink. The soup looks great, and the addition of gyoza or pot sticker, love it.
    Yes, we all have those lazy days.

    ReplyDelete
  18. @ Madin - Hi Madin! I love gyoza... I have such a weakness for them..actually for dumplings of all kinds! And yes, this is the kitchen sink soup!

    @ Bonnie - Hi Bonnie! Thanks for coming by! Looking forward to going through your blog!

    @ Zerrin - Hey there! Using up all my veggies was the reason this soup came into existence! :) But as long as the results are tasty...

    @ Tanantha - Love the bowl! And I guess everyone has those moments of 'bleh' when they open up the fridge and wonder what to make for dinner!

    @ A Spicy Perspective - Hi! We all need to have a way out of those lazy days... hope the nest time you're having a lazy day, you try out my soup!

    @ Ruchi - Hi Ruchi! The pleasure is all mine... your blog totally rocks!

    @ Lawyer Loves Lunch - A collaboration sounds genius and so much fun! Let's do it!

    @ Sanjana - Hi Sanjana! The soup is great even without the eggs.. and yup.. I love tofu too!

    @ Kristen - Hi Kristen! I like that the soup is so forgiving and easy to make with so many variations... although I do have a weakness for gyoza! :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. looks really good and heealthy! i really have to try those soups...

    ReplyDelete
  20. @ Melle - Hey Melle! These are so easy but very flavorful...hope you get to try them out!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Recipe sounds very simple and delicious!! Do drop by http://padhuskitchen.blogspot.com
    when time permits

    ReplyDelete