2 Ways: Meat-Free Tomato Soup Vermicelli (無肉番茄湯米)

When I crave Hong Kong food in cold and ruthless winter, a bowl of hot tomato soup vermicelli often pops into my mind. After trial and error, I made 2 versions which I think quite tasty!

Before we dive deeper, I want to reflect on how much seasonings is used in the broth: oyster sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, sugar, chicken bouillon powder. It surprised me that it turns out not that salty and robust like Cha-Chaang-Teng (茶餐廳), makes me wonder how much more is added in their version. In short, only after you’ve tried to cook it, then you know how much seasoning was used. Home cooking is always the BEST.

So, here are two versions I made:

1. Soup base with dried shiitake, pan-fried gyoza as a side
2. No dried shiitake but gyoza in soup, all in one pot

I prefer the first method as the dried shiitake offers more umami. But if I’m short of time, or no dried shiitake on hand, then I’ll go for method 2. One pot, easy-peasy!

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Method 1: Soup Base with Dried Shiitake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 rive vermicelli

For the Soup

• 1 round shallot, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 (180 g) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 400 ml soaked dried shiitake water
• 600 ml water
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ¾ tbsp soy sauce
• ¾ tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tsp sugar

For the Toppings

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 180 g cabbage, shredded
• 15 g dried shiitake, hydrated
• 1 small carrot, cut into batons
• sesame oil
• salt and pepper

How to Make

1. First make the soup. Warm 2 tsp of oil in a pot, sauté the shallot and garlic until fragrant, then add the tomatoes. Press them a bit to release the jellies, cook until the tomatoes skin separated from flesh.
2. Pour over soaked shiitake liquid and water, also add all the seasonings listed in the soup, bring to a boil and then turn to low heat. Let it cook for about 15 mins.
3. Meanwhile, soak the vermicelli in boiling hot water for 10 minutes until soften. Drain and separate into 2 bowls.
4. Then cook the toppings. In a pan, heat a tsp of oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant, then add carrots, shiitake and cabbage to stir-fry. Cover with a lid to speed up the cooking process, until soften, and season with salt and pepper. Take off from the heat.
5. Back to the soup. Have a taste and adjust accordingly. Pour the soup into the bowls, then place the cooked vegetables as toppings, drizzle in a few drops of sesame oil. Serve immediately.

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Method 2: Soup Base without Dried Shiitake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 rive vermicelli

For the Soup

• 1 scallion, chopped into rings
• 1 round shallot, diced
• ½ thumb-sized ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (150 g) ripe tomato
• 1 small carrot, cut into batons
• a handful of frozen beans
• 1 large mushroom, sliced
• 1 L water
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1 tsp sugar

For the Others

• 6 frozen gyoza of your choice
• sesame oil

How to Make

1. First make the soup. Warm 2 tsp of oil in a pot, sauté the shallot, scallion, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
2. Add the tomato, carrots, beans and mushrooms to cook, until they are slightly soften.
3. Pour over the water, and add all the remaining ingredients listed in the soup. Cook over low heat for about 15 mins. Then add the frozen dumplings to cook for a further 5 mins.
4. Meanwhile, soak the vermicelli in boiling hot water for 10 minutes until soften. Drain and separate into 2 bowls.
5. Back to the soup. Have a taste and adjust accordingly. Pour the soup and toppings into the bowls, drizzle in a few drops of sesame oil. Serve immediately.