---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
  
       Title: CRACKLING RICE VEGETABLE SOUP
  Categories: Chinese, Rice, Soups, Vegetarian
       Yield: 8 servings
  
       2 c  Cooked rice
       1 c  Deep-frying oil
       1 c  Dried soybeans
       8    Nami black mushrooms
       1 md Onion, quartered
      10 c  Cold water
       2 ts Thin soy
       2 tb Sherry
       1 ts Sesame oil
     1/4 ts Salt
       1 ts Sugar
     1/4 ts MSG (opt)
       1    Clove garlic
      10    Fresh snowpeas
       1 lg Carrot
  
   Rice Cakes:  Work with cooked leftover rice that is
   slightly moist and sticky.  If too dry, reheat with
   sprinkling of water until sticky. Spread rice in
   frying pan or pie tin, 1/2″ thick.  Pack rice into
   firm cake: this is important to make sure rice holds
   together.  Place in oven on low heat, and dry to
   slightly brittle texture; break into pieces.  Ten
   minutes before combining with soup, deep-fry rice
   pieces until lightly brown. Strain, place in soup
   tureen, and keep hot in oven.  Avoid holding fried
   pieces more than 10 minutes, as they tend to acquire a
   rancid taste and become overly dry.
   
   Vegetarian Soup:  Wash, then soak soybeans overnight
   in enough water to cover.  Wash and soak Nami
   mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 1 hour. When
   mushrooms are soft, separate caps from stems.  In
   large soup pot, combine water, beans, mushrooms (and
   stems), onion and garlic.  Bring to boil, lower heat,
   and simmer 2 hours.  Strain and reserve stock until
   ready to finish.  Save mushroom caps and 1/2 of beans
   for soup.
   
   To finish soup, thinly slice mushroom caps, combine
   with strained stock, cooked soybeans, soy sauce,
   sherry, sesame oil, salt and sugar. Peel carrot and
   make thin flower slices (or use flower cutter); add to
   soup. Bring soup to just under the boil.  Add MSG and
   snowpeas.  Cook for 2 minutes.
   
   To serve, seat your diners, place soup tureen of
   freshly fried, hot rice pieces on table and pour hot
   soup over them.  If rice and soup are very hot, rice
   will sizzle and crackle to everyone’s joy and
   amusement!
   
   Posted by Fred Peters.
  
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