Malay Vegan Spicy Soup

This Malay spicy soup usually uses chicken or bone as the main ingredients.  I have created a healthy low-fat version by using dried shiitake mushrooms to replace the meat. The USA National Library of Medicals has published a review in Oct 2020 giving substantial evidence which suggests that spices such as – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamoms, cumin, coriander, black pepper, garlic, and onions are known for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and several other useful properties. Therefore, this hearty, aromatic, and spicy vegan homemade soup is truly essential for immunity boosting.  

Ingredients

• 750ml /3 cups vegetable broth
• 250ml/1 cup reserved shiitake mushroom soaking water
• 40g/1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• 125g/ ½ cup frozen corn, thaw
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 2 medium-size red potatoes, cubed
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into bias
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
• 2 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil

Dried Spices (Whole)

• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 cardamoms
• 2 Star Anise
• 3 whole cloves

Spice Paste Ingredients

• 1 shallot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1-inch fresh ginger
• 4 macadamia nuts or candlenuts (buah keras in Malay)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ½ tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ tablespoon ground fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

Step 1: Rehydrating the Dried shiitake mushrooms

1. To start, first, rehydrate the dried mushrooms for about 5 minutes in approximately 500ml/2 cups of boiling water.

Step 2: Making the Spice Paste

1. Peel and roughly chop the shallot, garlic and ginger then add to the blender.  Next, add all other spices, and 60ml/1/4 cup of water to initial the blending.  Blend until you achieve a nice, smooth paste.

Step 3: Preparing the Vegetables

1. To prepare your vegetables, peel and slice the onion.  Next, slice the celery on the bias.
2. To have carrot slices that look like a flower, cut a triangular indentation along the lengthways of the carrot as shown here then slice the carrot into 2mm thick slices.
3. For the potatoes, cut them into 1-inch cubes. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
4. Finely chop the fresh coriander and spring onions.

Step 4: Cooking the Spicy Soup

1. Heat a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add the oil. Throw in the dried spices, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamoms and cloves.  Fry until they release their fragrance then add the blended spice paste. Stir gently and continuously to prevent the paste from sticking to the pot.  Stir-fry the paste until it releases the spice aroma.
2. When the spice paste becomes slightly brown, mix in the sliced onions then adds soaked shiitake mushrooms.  Add the vegetable stock and reserved shiitake mushroom soaking water.  Stir to mix everything with the liquid then bring to a boil.  When the soup has started to boil, add the chopped potatoes, celery, sliced carrots, and corn then stir to mix everything evenly.  Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes or until all vegetables are tender
3. After 20 minutes, uncover the pot and stir in the chopped coriander and cherry tomatoes.  Cook for another minute, taste the soup and add salt and pepper to season. Ladle the soup into a bowl, garnish with finely chopped spring onions and serve hot.  Enjoy!

Notes: For non-vegan or vegetarians – You can add chicken or bone instead of mushrooms after the spice paste has turned slightly brown. Stir-fry the chicken for a minute then add 3 to 4 cups of your preferred stock.   Corn – If you prefer fresh corn from the cob, you can use that instead of frozen corn.