Mum's Yam Vermicelli Soup
- Daniel
- May 21, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: May 22
I have no idea who invented this dish. Or in fact, I do not remember whether it is my mum or my grandmother. Either way, remaking this is like walking down a memory lane. My mum would make chicken and dried shrimp stock the day before and use that stock to make this dish.
She would shred the whole chicken by hand and cook it with vermicelli, yam and stock. And if she fancy something lush, she would top the dish with store-bought Chinese BBQ ribs. "If" that is. As I learn more and more about cooking and being a rebel, I take the whole concept, remove the elements I dislike and flip it upside down into my own version. A vegan version.
Who knows? Maybe in the future, I will do the meat version? Anyway, I steamed the yam separately cos I find that it actually cooks faster than cooking it together with the stock. I am not using any meat or dried shrimps, so I have to borrow flavors from dried mushrooms, kombu and miso to stack flavors.
As for the Chinese BBQ ribs, I made some smoked oyster mushrooms. Do not skip the shatta tho. Other than the yam and vermicelli, this is her signature style of serving this dish, You can use any green chili paste or sauce; sambal hijau and chimichurri work really well too.
If you can't get your hands on dried vermicelli, you can try using some angel hair pasta. I hope you will give this recipe a try and slurp away some yummiliciousness.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Smoked Mushrooms:
Sea Salt, Pinch
Granulated Sugar, 1 TSP
Ground Cumin, 1 TSP
Chili Flakes, 1 TSP Adjust To Preference
White Pepper, Pinch
Black Pepper, Pinch
Garlic Powder, 1/2 TSP
Chinese 5 Spice Homemade, 1 TSP
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Oyster Mushrooms, 150g
Soup:
Yam / Taro, 1kg
Dried Mushrooms, 6
Kombu, 1
Vegetable Stock Homemade, 2L
Miso, 1 TBSP
High Quality Olive Oil, 2 TBSP
Soy Sauce, 2 TBSP
Yellow Onions Finely Chopped, 1
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Granulated Sugar, Pinch
Garlic Finely Minced, 3 Cloves
Ginger Finely Minced, 1"
Vermicelli Dried, 400g
Shatta Homemade, For Serving
Toasted Sesame Oil, For Serving
White Soy Sauce, For Serving
Scallions Finely Chopped, For Garnishing
Equipment:
Heavy Pot
Steamer
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Smoker (I'm using Nordic Ware's Personal Size Stovetop Kettle Smoker)
Directions:
Please visit my "How To Make Vegetable Stock" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Make Chinese 5 Spice" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Make Shatta" page for the recipe.
Marinate the Mushrooms
In a large bowl, toss mushrooms with all marinade ingredients.
Chill for at least 1 hour.
Steam the Yam
Peel, chop, and wash yam.
Steam for 8–10 mins until fork-tender. Set aside to cool.
Make the Broth
In a large pot, add vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
Add dried mushrooms and kombu. Simmer 15 mins until hydrated and soft.
Remove mushrooms and kombu. Keep broth simmering.
Dice mushrooms and slice kombu thinly. Set aside.
Smoke the Mushrooms
Smoke marinated mushrooms as per smoker instructions.
Prepare Aromatics
In a skillet, sauté onions with olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar until caramelized.
Add garlic and ginger, sauté until fragrant.
Stir in diced rehydrated mushrooms and cook until slightly browned.
Deglaze with some broth and cook until almost dry.
Add to the simmering stock along with sliced kombu and steamed yam.
Finish the Broth
Season with salt and white pepper.
Simmer for another 5–8 mins.
Cook Vermicelli & Assemble
Cook vermicelli directly in the broth until al dente, 3–5 mins.
Add 1 TBSP shatta to each serving bowl.
Ladle broth with yam, mushrooms, and kombu into bowls.
Add vermicelli.
Drizzle with sesame oil and white soy sauce.
Garnish with smoked mushrooms and scallions.
Serve Immediately
Repeat for remaining servings.
In case you are wondering, this is what yam looks like...
Every mouthful is nostalgic...
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