Chicken and Vegetable Soup - Healthy Level 9

I usually cook on Sundays just to make sure that I'll have enough food to sustain my tummy throughout the week,

(I can eat the same food over and over again).

Last weekend,

I was too busy hanging around with my friends,

So I had to figure something nice and fast on Monday night,

And here's what I came up with,

Chicken and Vegetable Soup-

(I won't show you what's under that lid after you read this recipe!)

Ingredients (for a big pot) ?

1 big carrot (cubed)

1/2 small cabbage (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

20 dried shitake mushrooms

1 small radish (cubed)

2 stalks of scallion

1 small ginger (about the size of a ping pong)

1 can of diced tomatoes

8 small chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, cubed)

1 qt of organic chicken stock

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Mirin

Water

How?

Let's get the dried shitake mushrooms ready first,

Soak them in the water for about 5 minutes and drain it,

That should do the trick.

I usually soak them again till needed, which is about 15 extra minutes.

The dried mushrooms is always good for making Chinese soup,

Because the aroma is stronger and thus more flavorful.

Prepare a big pot, drizzle some olive oil.

Toss in the chopped onion and about a tablespoon of salt,

Cook till the color turned transparent, about 4 minutes.

Toss in 2 stalks of scallion and ginger,

Keep cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the aroma of ginger comes out.

Add the cubed chicken along with about 2 tablespoons of mirin and some black pepper,

Cook till semi-golden brown on the sides.

Now it's time to really fill up the pot with mountains of vegetables,

Toss toss toss!

Toss in the cubed radish, cubed carrot, chopped cabbage, and mushrooms,

Don't forget to add more salt and pepper,

Stir fry for about 5 minutes,

Pour in the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and about 5 to 7 cups of water.

Bring to a boil and turn to medium heat,

Cover with lid and just let it simmer for at least an hour.

Remember to stir the soup once a while and check the flavor,

You can always add more salt or black pepper if needed.

I usually let the soup to sit overnight,

The flavor is always better the next day.

So here's the final product, still boiling-

You can eat it with noodles,

You can eat it with rice,

You can eat it with biscuits,

How easy can it be?

The soup will have a hint of spiciness from the ginger,

With a natural sweet taste from all the vegetables,

Very healthy, very delicious.

Cindy's Rating: 7