Done in 20mins Chinese Vegetable Soup!

On today's menu, a superb recipe that's sure to delight. An extraordinary Chinese-style vegetable soup. Lei Hou Ma, that's what's going in Cantonese. Welcome to Youngman Cooking, I'm Will Young. Get ready to make one of the easiest, quickest, most delicious soups ever. This is definitely a childhood favorite. If you enjoy today's episode, be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment below. Let's begin. Finely chop 2-3 pieces of garlic. This recipe is very versatile, you can definitely use other vegetables you have on hand, like broccoli or cremini mushrooms. Small piece of ginger, finely chopped. This recipe is good for about 2-3 portions, but of course, you can multiply it to make more if you like. Chop down 3 sticks of green onions. Keep the whites and the greens separate, as we'll be using the white parts for cooking and the green parts for garnish. Green onions have a subtle garlic and onion aroma, and wilts really nicely in the hot soup. One carrot, diced. The carrot adds beautiful color, a fresh crunch, and some natural sweetness. Slice down about 40 grams of fresh shiitake mushrooms. If you're using rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, be sure to remove the stalks, as they have a pretty tough texture. This here is gai lan, sometimes referred to as Chinese broccoli. Really delicious, really hearty, should be easy to find at an Asian grocer. Remove the leaves from the gai lan. Roughly chop the leaves and set aside. Remove the end bits from the gai lan stalks, then chop down into bite-sized pieces. The gai lan will add body and nice flavor to the soup. Chop down 4 spears of baby corn into bite-sized pieces. One more thing to prep, and that is silken tofu. This stuff is so delicate, be very gentle with it. Slice the silken tofu in half through the package. Slice into quarters, then into medium-sized chunks. I'm using about 200 grams of silken tofu in today's episode, but of course you can add more. It's completely up to you. Saute pan, medium heat, about a tablespoon of avocado oil, garlic, ginger, and the white part from the green onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes. This umami powder was made in a past episode. Not mandatory, but it does add that extra little oomph of umami goodness. I'll definitely leave a link in the description box below for you to check this out. Make it really easily at home. Two teaspoons of that optional umami powder. Half teaspoon salt. Half teaspoon white pepper. Give the pan a good stir to combine all those delicious flavors. Add in the carrots. Gai Lan stalks. Shiitake mushrooms. One liter or four cups of water. Give the pan a stir, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil. For today, I'm going to be using the official Youngman Cooking ceramic ramen bowls to play today's recipe. Even though we're not making ramen, it's still super appropriate. For more information or to grab your very own bowls, I'll definitely leave a link in the description box below for you to check this out, or you can visit youngmancooking.com. Add in the baby corn and the gai lan leaves. Give the soup a stir. Two teaspoons soy sauce. About a half teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Make a slurry by combining three tablespoons of potato starch with one cup of water. Pour half the slurry into the soup and give it a good stir. Allow the soup to come to a boil again, then pour in the remaining slurry while stirring. This will give the soup a glossy and really robust texture. Add in the silken tofu, turn off the heat, and give the soup a stir. Plate the soup generously. Top the soup with some fresh green onions and a sprinkle of white pepper. You can now savor this delicious soup with absolute confidence. You can really smell that amazing aroma from the white pepper. Man, there is a reason why this is a childhood favorite. So delicious. The soup is visually gorgeous and has all these different contrasting pops of bright colors. And with that first bite, you are welcomed with fresh and earthy flavors and textures. The broth has this nice, thick glossiness. It's salty and it has that bit of pepperiness. And that umami from the mushrooms is quite prominent. There's a little crunchy and that natural sweetness from the carrots and that baby corn. The gai lan adds a lot of flavor to the broth as well as a lot of body to the soup. That silken tofu is so delightfully tender and melt in your mouth. And you get a hint of that toasted sesame aroma. For such a simple combination of ingredients, it really boasts extraordinary flavors. Simple enough to make at home but delicious enough to serve at an amazing restaurant. Simple delicious recipes like this makes it so much fun to cook at home. If you love easy delicious recipes like me, definitely check out or pick up your copy of one of the four Youngman Cooking cookbooks. There is a digital or print version of these books you can check out in the link in the description box below or you can visit youngmancooking.com. Of course as always, if you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment below. If you're not already subscribed with that notification bell clicked, remember to do so so that we can cook together again in the next episode.