Here’s a great soup we recently created: Zucchini Hot Pot Soup. It’s a Korean-based soup, modeled after a beefy soup recipe in one of our cook books. We adjusted it to become a vegetarian soup and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It’s a spicy soup, refreshing on a summer day, or warming in winter.
It’s also ridiculously easy to put together. And a great use for summer’s zucchini bounty!
If your kitchen cupboards aren’t already stocked for Korean cuisine, you’ll need to pick up a few things at a specialty grocery store. Or you may luck out and find these items in the “Ethnic Foods” aisle of a larger supermarket.
Miso Paste: A paste made of fermented soybeans with other ingredients including mushrooms and grains. It’s sort of like a bouillon for asian cooking. Miso comes in a variety of types. You may want to start with a ‘mild’ variety, and work your way from there. Miso can be used in many other recipes as well.
Korean Hot Red Pepper Paste: This peppery paste gives the soup and other Korean dishes their unique heat. We found some at our local supermarket, from the Bibigo Brand.
Now, on to the soup!
Ingredients:
2 T Miso
3 T Korean Pepper Paste
1 T Minced Garlic
1 T Sesame Oil
1 Medium Onion, Diced
2 – 3 Cups Stock or Water
1 Zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 package (12 oz.) Tofu
Scallions for Garnish
Salt to Taste
Tip: The miso and pepper paste both have some salt, so depending on your stock and desire of saltiness, you may not need any additional salt.
Process:
1. Saute onion in sesame oil, pepper paste, miso and garlic a few minutes.
2. Add stock or water and bring to a simmer.
3. Add zucchini and tofu, simmer until zucchini is ready to eat.
4. Serve over brown rice with scallion garnish.
Yum!