Eat Down the House: Aunt Rancy’s Seaweed and Mushroom Soup
Aunt Rancy’s Seaweed and Mushroom Soup
I am fortunate to have a wonderful family (despite our oddball ways). What is more awesome is that I have a very large extended family that includes friends and mentors all over the world who have all taught me more than they realize. That is why Mother’s Day is special — not only do I have my Mommy to celebrate, it is also a celebration of my other “Moms”. And I want to thank my Aunt Rancy for being one of them.
Growing up, the Restaurant Babies (all except for #4) spent summers in Hong Kong where we learned how to eat mango from the peel, how to live in nine-story buildings without elevators or central air, and how to speak Canto-slang. Aunt Rancy and I bonded quickly and easily during these summers. During our teenage years, we stopped spending our summers abroad, but luckily during my last year of official schooling, I had the opportunity to visit Aunt Rancy and Uncle again!
She took me to the gai see or the markets where everyone shops for fresh vegetables and fresh seafood daily for their meals (instead of doing a once-a-week grocery trip). On my last night, we prepared this seafood feast together.
Photo courtesy of Aashoo Tandon. Our seafood feast on our last night in Hong Kong
Aunt Rancy taught me how to make this very simple soup with seaweed and mushrooms. It reminded me of a miso soup in that it is quite light and acts like an appetizer for your meal. It can be made with other ingredients as well; in the past, I have added tofu or miso paste. By now, I’m at the bottom of the barrel (from Eat Down the House) and out of most perishables . . . so, no tofu for me.
Aunt Rancy’s Seaweed and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1/3 sheet of dried seaweed
- ¼ cup of dried shitake mushrooms (or a handful)
- 2 ½ cups water + ½ cup of water
- Salt to taste
Directions:
Soak shitake mushrooms in half a cup of lukewarm water for 30 minutes, or until soft. Slice your softened mushrooms if they are not pre-sliced
Bring 2 cups of water in a small saucepan to a boil. Add the mushrooms (water and all) and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Heat a small skillet on medium heat. When hot, add the dried seaweed to toast lightly, for 3-5 minutes on each side or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.
Add the toasted seaweed to the soup. Let simmer for another 3-5 minutes and stir occasionally. Salt to taste; the seaweed should be salty already, so you shouldn’t need too much.
Other Seaweed Soup Recipes:
- Delicious Asian Food’s Seaweed Soup with Minced Pork
- My Korean Kitchen’s Brown Seaweed Soup
1 comment
Mmm ~ yum-mee!!!! I wanna try this one out, too! Definitely have the seaweed in my pantry already!
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