Chinese Vegetable Noodle Soup

On the eve before mum went on a mini holiday, I cooked her this light and delicate noodle dish, inspired by a recipe from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking. An enthused noodle-lover, mum seemed very satisfied upon finishing the extravagant bowl of noodles and vegies I served her!

Serves 4-6:

- 1 small cucumber
- 1 medium-sized carrot, peeled
- 220 g packet fresh noodles (I used fresh Shanghai noodles. Hokkien also works well)
- 6 cups Chinese Vegetable Stock
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 1 tbs ginger julienne
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced on the diagonal
- 200g baby corn, sliced lengthways 
- 100 g oyster mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
- 150 g shiitake mushrooms stems discarded and caps sliced
- 100g enoki mushrooms
- 150 g snow peas, trimmed and finely sliced
- 2⅓ cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 red banana chillies, finely sliced on the diagonal (optional)

Using a vegetable peeler, finely slice cucumber and carrot lengthways into ribbons. Cut slices into a fine julienne and set aside. Place noodles in a colander and rinse well under hot running water, then drain.

Bring stock to the boil in a large heavy-based pot. Add soy sauce, ginger and sugar and stir to combine. Reduce heat, add drained noodles, celery and baby corn and simmer for 1 minute. Toss in reserved carrots, mushrooms, snow peas and cabbage and simmer for a further minute or until noodles are just tender. Remove pot from stove. Ladle soup into large bowls. Place reserved cucumber, bean sprouts, mint and chilli in small separate bowls and serve alongside soup.

Chinese Vegetable Noodle Soup