Crackling Rice Vegetable Soup

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Title: CRACKLING RICE VEGETABLE SOUP
Categories: Chinese, Rice, Soups, Vegetarian
Yield: 8 servings

2 c Cooked rice
1 c Deep-frying oil
1 c Dried soybeans
8 Nami black mushrooms
1 md Onion, quartered
10 c Cold water
2 ts Thin soy
2 tb Sherry
1 ts Sesame oil
1/4 ts Salt
1 ts Sugar
1/4 ts MSG (opt)
1 Clove garlic
10 Fresh snowpeas
1 lg Carrot

Rice Cakes: Work with cooked leftover rice that is
slightly moist and sticky. If too dry, reheat with
sprinkling of water until sticky. Spread rice in
frying pan or pie tin, 1/2" thick. Pack rice into
firm cake: this is important to make sure rice holds
together. Place in oven on low heat, and dry to
slightly brittle texture; break into pieces. Ten
minutes before combining with soup, deep-fry rice
pieces until lightly brown. Strain, place in soup
tureen, and keep hot in oven. Avoid holding fried
pieces more than 10 minutes, as they tend to acquire a
rancid taste and become overly dry.

Vegetarian Soup: Wash, then soak soybeans overnight
in enough water to cover. Wash and soak Nami
mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 1 hour. When
mushrooms are soft, separate caps from stems. In
large soup pot, combine water, beans, mushrooms (and
stems), onion and garlic. Bring to boil, lower heat,
and simmer 2 hours. Strain and reserve stock until
ready to finish. Save mushroom caps and 1/2 of beans
for soup.

To finish soup, thinly slice mushroom caps, combine
with strained stock, cooked soybeans, soy sauce,
sherry, sesame oil, salt and sugar. Peel carrot and
make thin flower slices (or use flower cutter); add to
soup. Bring soup to just under the boil. Add MSG and
snowpeas. Cook for 2 minutes.

To serve, seat your diners, place soup tureen of
freshly fried, hot rice pieces on table and pour hot
soup over them. If rice and soup are very hot, rice
will sizzle and crackle to everyone's joy and
amusement!

Posted by Fred Peters.

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