Ingredients

  • 9 quarts water
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 12 cup tamari or 12 cup soy sauce
  • 12 cup rice vinegar
  • 12 cup lime juice
  • 12 cup fish oil (optional)
  • 1 cup organic low-sugar ketchup
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 2 teaspoons hot chili oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 14 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 tablespoons chives
  • 16 ounces bagged cabbage
  • 6 ounces whole spinach or 6 ounces kale
  • 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup roasted red pepper, minced
  • 10 ounces water chestnuts, drained and rinsed (dry weight of 16 oz can)
  • 10 ounces bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed (dry weight of 16 oz can)
  • 14 ounces baby corn, drained and rinsed (dry weight of 30 oz can)
  • 2 12 cups carrots, sliced
  • 3 yellow onions, diced
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 pinch salt
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • pepper

Method

  • Add 9 quarts of water to a 12 quart soup pot on high.
  • Add boullion, tamari, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish oil (optional), ketchup, raw sugar, hot chili oil, sesame oil, ginger, and chives.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer while preparing vegetables.
  • Add ingredients as you prepare them: bagged coleslaw, bagged spinach (or kale, rinsed and removed from stalks), crimini mushrooms (rinsed and sliced), red roasted peppers (diced), carrots (peeled and sliced).
  • Add canned foods after draining and rinsing thoroughly: water chestnuts, baby corn, and bamboo shoots.
  • In a frying pan, add peanut oil and cook on medium-high heat for a minute or two until oil is heated to desired temperature (when the fat begins to "ripple").
  • Add chopped onions and stir to coat with oil.
  • Add a pinch of salt to absorb water from onions and to speed up caramelizing.
  • Continue to stir the onions.
  • Onions will begin to stick to the pan a bit (which is good) and will begin to darken.
  • If the onions are sticking too much, add a small amount of water to deglaze.
  • Keep stirring.
  • Continue the deglazing process until onions are a deep, rich brown.
  • Add garlic to onions and cook for an additional minute.
  • Pour a ladle of soup into the frying pan to stop the cooking process and help loosen any onions and garlic stuck to the frying pan.
  • Add contents of frying pan to soup.
  • Allow soup to cook for several hours to bring out flavors.
  • Add pepper and crushed red pepper flake to taste.