Department of Health EatSmart Restaurant Star+ Campaign - Dick LEE

Dick LEE - The Art of Vegetarian Meal

More and more people are health conscious as they grow older and like to have vegetarian diet. Recently, I prepared braised vegetarian shark's fin soup for my friends. Making reference to Healthy Recipes Cookbook published by the Elderly Health Service of the Department of Health, the soup is delicious and simple to make.

Braised Vegetarian Shark's Fin Soup ( Serves 4 )

Ingredients:

Vermicelli (mung bean threads)

1 tael (40g)

Dried Chinese black mushroom (shiitake mushroom)

1/2 tael (20g)

Dried wood ear

1/2 tael (20g)

Bamboo shoot

2 taels (80g)

Dried white tofu (bean curd)

2 pieces (approx. 70g)

Vegetable oil

1 tablespoon

Water

2 bowls

Seasonings:

Salt

2/3 teaspoon

Soy sauce

1 tablespoon

Sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon

Sugar

1/2 teaspoon

Thickening:

Dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon

Starch

2 tablespoon

Water

1/2 cup (120ml)

Cooking Method:

Soak and drain the vermicelli. Section the vermicelli into shreds of 3 to 4 inches.

Soak, trim, rinse and shred the mushrooms and wood ear.

Rinse and shred the bamboo shoots and dried white tofu.

Heat the oil and stir-fry the mushrooms, wood ear and bamboo shoots gently. Set aside.

Boil 2 bowls of water. Add in the mushrooms, wood ear, bamboo shoots and dried white tofu and simmer for a while. Then put in the vermicelli and the seasoning sauce. Bring to boil and stir in the thickening sauce.

People think that having a vegetarian diet marks the beginning of healthy eating. However, you should note that vegetarian dishes with fried bean products or with high-salt Seasonings (e.g. preserved red bean curd and preserved bean curd) are not good to health.

Braised vegetarian shark's fin soup is in line with the three healthy principles: (i) non-fried dried white tofu is used; (ii) Chinese black mushrooms, wood ear and bamboo shoots are added to improve the texture; (iii) only a limited amount of Seasonings are used. Sesame oil is used to make the soup aromatic.

I hope that you will enjoy healthy vegetarian meal. If you do not have time to prepare vegetarian meals, you may find a vegetarian EatSmart Restaurant at the thematic website www.eatsmart.gov.hk and order "3 Less" dishes!