Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Coffee Shop and Dried beancurd soup

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! This is my 'Coffee Shop' art for the theme.

dried bean curd sticks

dried shitake mushrooms

dried bean curd soup

For the Dinner Date, my sister gave me this recipe for dried beancurd and dried shitake mushroom soup.  She said it is a popular Cantonese comfort food.  I visited the Asian grocery store and purchased some dried bean curd sticks and dried shitake mushrooms for the recipe.  I was curious to try dried bean curd.  The soup is delicious and low carb.

1/2 boned chicken breast.  (I used a chicken leg quarter)

1 pack dried bean curd sticks

5 dried shitake mushrooms

1 carrot (optional) peeled and cut into chunks

1 chayote squash (optional) peeled and sliced

2" fresh ginger sliced

1 bouillon cube

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 c water

shitake mushroom water:

1 c water

1 tbs light soy

1 tsp sesame oil

Soak bean curd sticks (snapped into 3" pieces), rehydrate for 1 hour in a bowl of cold water

Wash 5 mushrooms and soak in 1 cup of water with 1 tbs soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil for 1 hour.  Remove stems from mushrooms and slice into 3/4" slices.  Pour the water off without the grits.

Add chicken, ginger slices, bouillon cube, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, carrots, chayote squash, 8 c water, 1 c gritless shitake mushroom water.  Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour.  Add bean curd for another 10 mins.  The chicken meat should just break apart in the soup, or you can do it.