As the temperature slowly drops and cool winds whip through Beijing, there is nothing more satisfying than coming home to a warm, nourishing soup. Growing up, soups were a frequent appearance at the dinner table, as my grandmother cooked up a weekly batch with vegetables from her garden.
Easy to prepare and chock full of nutrition, a bowl of carefully concocted brew can easily provide a day’s worth of vitamins and minerals for your kids. Soups are also a great place to add vegetarian proteins. Beans and rice are a great choice, as are egg-based dumplings, or even small pieces of tofu. The only thing you’ll want to keep an eye on is sodium, which is why it’s a good idea to make your own stock. In a pinch, however, a low-sodium canned stock or bullion will do.
The beauty of this soup is that it is versatile, and you can make it with any vegetable you might have on hand, fresh or frozen. You can even use canned stock to simplify things. Some reliably delicious ingredients to combine are carrots, green beans, onion, pumpkin and corn with egg-based dumplings. Another option is mixing beans, rice, corn, zucchini, tomato, onion and green peppers with tomato and cumin. The sky is the limit, and you can even have your kids pick their favorite ingredients and create their own version.
Bountiful Harvest Soup
½ cup green beans or peas, chopped into 2cm pieces
½ cup carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes
½ cup zucchini and yellow squash and cut into small cubes
½ cup yellow and red bell peppers and cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 egg
½ cup whole wheat flour
Mild paprika and salt to taste
2 liters vegetable stock
In a large pot, bring stock to boil and add vegetables according to their required cooking time. First add the carrots, beans, peas, onion, and pumpkin, and allow them to simmer for ten minutes before adding quick cooking vegetables like zucchini. Cover the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Note: If you want to include meat in this recipe, it should go in at the beginning.
In a small bowl, beat together the flour, egg, paprika and salt. You can substitute other spices of course, and spice mixes are a quick and easy alternative. Once the vegetables are tender, scoop them out of the soup and bring it to a medium boil. Carefully drop ¼ teaspoons of the egg batter into the soup, and cook five minutes until done. Add vegetables back to soup, and serve immediately.
Homemade Vegetable Stock
2 liters filtered water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-large onion, coarsely chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
In a large, lidded pot, heat the oil. Then add all of the vegetables. Let them cook over low heat for ten minutes with the lid on. Add the water and spices and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain.
Share the recipe with a Chinese-speaking friend.
大丰收汤
豆角洗净，切成两厘米长段（半杯量）或豌豆半杯备
西葫芦、南瓜、胡萝卜、彩椒洗净，切成丁（半杯量）备用
洋葱一个，切丁备用
鸡蛋一个
全麦面粉半杯
准备辣椒粉和盐，依个人口味定量
蔬菜高汤两升，可用其它高汤代替
用煮锅将高汤煮沸。根据易熟程度放入备用蔬菜，依次放入胡萝卜，豆角，豌豆，洋葱和南瓜，小火炖十分钟，然后加入西葫芦及其他食材，加盖，炖十五分钟直至蔬菜变软。（如根据需要加入更多食材，肉需最先加入。）
用小碗将面粉，鸡蛋，辣椒粉和盐和匀，然后捏成指甲盖大小的面球。也可根据个人口味加入其它调料。捞出煮锅中变软的蔬菜，将锅中剩下的汤煮沸，加入小面球继续煮沸五分钟。将捞出的蔬菜放回锅中即成。
自制蔬菜高汤
纯净水两升
橄榄油两汤匙
偏大洋葱一个，简单切碎
芹菜两根，切碎
胡萝卜一大根，切碎
大蒜五瓣，捣碎
月桂叶两片
干百里香半茶匙
干欧芹一茶匙
盐一茶匙
用一个带盖的大汤锅，热油，加入所有的蔬菜。加盖小火烧10分钟，然后加入水和调料煮沸。再小火炖45分钟，将汤中杂物滤除。
This article is excerpted from beijingkids October 2011 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.
