Vegan Detox Soup

A Shoot of Umami

That this soup can be prepared in less than an hour and uses water as its base may raise some eyebrows among you. Only some soups require an hour or more of simmering time and a chicken or vegetable broth foundation?

You can prepare a delicious soup in a short amount of time using only water and other wonderful ingredients, as you will learn if you try my Easy Button Mushroom Soup.

Tomato, mushrooms, and light soy sauce all contain glutamate, the amino acid responsible for activating the taste sensation known as “umami.” Hence, the soup has a savory, meaty quality.

Dried wakame is also included; it doesn’t contribute quite as much glutamate as other seaweeds, but it enhances the soup’s flavor immensely. Dried seaweed is a fantastic addition to any kitchen and should be stocked if it isn’t already. We use it to boost the nutritional value and deliciousness of ordinary soups like this one, as well as noodle soups and wonton soup.

If you have any miso paste on hand, it is highly recommended that you add a tablespoon of it to this soup to give it a deeper, more complex taste.

This soup is surprisingly easy to make and tastes great.

This soup has all the qualities you’d want in a fulfilling meal: flavor, texture, and volume. Adding cooked soba (buckwheat noodles) or leftover brown rice makes it a more substantial dinner.

I guess it’s time to get down to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of tomato (cut into large chunks)
• 8 ounces of silken tofu (cubed)
• 4 ounces of mushroom (thinly sliced)
• 4 ounces of baby spinach
• 2 slices of ginger (julienned or whole)
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped scallions and/or cilantro
• 2 tablespoons of dried seaweed (wakame)
• 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese black vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper powder
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring a soup pot up to a medium simmer. Put in the ginger, then the olive oil. Add the tomato chunks and cook for another 30 seconds. The tomatoes only need a few minutes of cooking time to become tender.
2. After two minutes, add the mushrooms and continue cooking. Put some water, dried seaweed, silken tofu, light soy sauce, and white pepper powder. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes at medium heat after bringing to a boil.
3. Last but not least, combine the baby spinach, sesame oil, black vinegar, and salt to taste. Soup is ready to be served when it has returned to a boil and the spinach has wilted. Garnish with scallions and/or cilantro.