Asian Hot Pot Style Soup

"From time immemorial, soups and broths have been the worldwide medium for utilizing what we call the kitchen byproducts or as the French call them, the 'dessertes de la table' (leftovers)." Louis P. De Guoy

Yes, yesterday's dinner was one of those dinners... leftovers made new! So many veggies in the fridge, you don't know how to make them into a coherent meal! Well, that's when my alter ego 'Macgyver of the kitchen' shows up. A quick look in the cupboard and freezer convinced me that an Asian inspired soup would be featured on our dinner menu! I didn't really appreciate a big bowl of soup until I lived near Korea town in Toronto. My old roommate Diane and I would venture up the street and explore! Food marts, tiny restaurants, cafes, etc. Two of our faves were walnut cakes and kimchi. I fell in love with kimchi right away! I would buy large tubs of the delicious fermented cabbage and pick away at it with chop sticks until it was time to buy a new tub! We had our fave soup place as well. As soon as you sit down, water, tea and soup accompaniments were placed on the table: seaweed salad, mung beans in a sweet sauce, spicy fermented radish, an egg per person and of course, kimchi. Large stone bowls of boiling soup would soon be brought to the table, along with a stone bowl of rice. The server then would scoop the rice out of the stone bowl into a serving bowl, then fill the rice bowl with water. While the soup was still boiling, we'd crack the egg in and stir it up. I always ordered the dumpling soup with tofu, medium heat. The first time Diane and I went, we didn't realize how spicy the soup was going to be... We learned our lesson and always remembered to order medium hot after that! After the soup and rice is consumed, people start to intake the lukewarm rice water with their spoons. Hmm, we guessed it was a considered a digestive? Who knows! We never asked but simply decided to join in. When in Rome... Unfortunately, I don't have any kimchi, so I used other Asian ingredients for our soup.

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Asian Hot Pot Style Soup
(serves 2)

1 Litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 slice of ginger
1 clove garlic, sliced in half
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
pinch of sea salt
1/2 white onion, medium slice
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 cup of sliced, mixed vegetables (I used asparagus, green beans, snow peas, mushrooms, and radish)
leftover cooked steak, chicken or pork, sliced
4 to 6 dumplings, any type (use mine if you like, found on my 'Recipes' page)
2 small handfuls cooked noodles, such as udon, miki, soba or rice vermicelli
2 scallion, sliced
1 tsp or so, sesame oil (preferably roasted)

.put the stock in a pot, add ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin and salt to make your broth and bring to a simmer
.add in white onion, carrot, celery and dumplings, put on lid and simmer 3 to 4 minutes
.remove lid, add mixed vegetables, put on lid and simmer another 3 to 4 minutes
.meanwhile, in each serving bowl, place noodles, scallions, pour in a little sesame oil and place in the sliced meat
.ladle the hot soup into the bowl, over the other ingredients
.serve with extra soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce (such as sambal olek or siracha), enjoy!

Now, this is just what I had lying around, but you can use whatever you have! Just keep the broth the same and improvise! Heck, add tofu, an egg or seafood! I always serve this soup with a soup spoon and chop sticks. It's easy to make and a great way to use up leftovers and empty out the vegetable tray in the fridge! Serving a large soup for a meal is easy and can be served year round! Yum!