Oriental Vegetable Stew Recipes

ASIAN VEGETABLE-BEEF SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, brown meat in oil on all sides; drain. Add the water, broth, sherry, soy sauce, onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour., Stir in the mushrooms, carrots and bok choy; cover and simmer 20-30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. , Divide rice among 6 soup bowls, 3/4 cup in each; top each with 1 cup soup. Garnish with chive blossoms if desired.

JAPANESE CHICKEN AND ROOT VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, soak dried mushrooms in water overnight at room temperature. (Alternatively, you can cover mushrooms with hot water and let soak for 2 hours.)
• Remove mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Slice off stems and discard them. Cut the caps into 1/4-inch pieces.
• Place kombu in a large pot, add mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, make a drop lid (called an otoshibuta in Japanese) by folding foil into a round just smaller than the pot. Poke a few holes in the drop lid with a chopstick or knife.
• As soon as liquid boils, remove kombu and discard or save to reuse. Add chicken, taro, radish, carrot, sake, soy sauce, sugar and salt to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, place drop lid directly on top of cooking vegetables and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Add sweet potato to the pot, cover pot again with drop lid, and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through but not mushy.
• Meanwhile, shred cooled chicken and divide among four bowls. Stir rice wine vinegar into stew, along with salt to taste, then ladle it into the bowls with the chicken. Garnish with sansho powder or shichimi togarashi and serve.

CHINESE-STYLE VEGETABLE AND VEAL STEW

Steps:

• Put oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add veal and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, turning as necessary, until well browned on all sides. Transfer veal to plate and set aside.
• Add onions, carrots and radishes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add soy sauce and wine, stock or water. Bring to a boil, return veal to pot and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring once or twice, until veal is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir in the bok choy, cover and cook until the leaves are wilted but stems still have some crunch, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in snow peas and simmer until they turn bright green, about 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, drizzle with sesame oil and serve.