Soup with Chinese cabbage and mushrooms

Prepare all the ingredients for the soup with Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. I prefer to use cilantro for the greens, but taking into account other family members who don't particularly like the aroma of this herb, I mix it with parsley. All the greens are frozen, as it is not yet the season for fresh ones. If you replace sesame oil with vegetable oil and the broth with water, of course, the aroma and richness of the soup will not be the same. But everything is possible. You will get a very tender and dietetic version. If you don't like spicy food, replace the chili with regular black pepper. If you buy sesame oil in the Asian section of a supermarket, it will most likely be brown and have a strong smell. That's what I really like. It gives a bright, unique aroma. Regular sesame oil has a light flavor and smell - there is a big difference.

Peel and thinly slice the onion. Rinse the green onion, pat dry, and finely chop.

Rinse the Chinese cabbage, shake off the excess water, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut it first lengthwise into several parts, and then crosswise, not too wide. I discard the stalk.

Peel and finely slice or grate the carrots. I use a burner grater and get small, thin shreds. Peel and finely chop the garlic, crushing it with the flat side of a knife.

Rinse the mushrooms, pat them dry, and slice them fairly thinly. Chop the chili pepper. Add it according to your taste preferences, and if you want it less spicy, you can remove the seeds. Generally, chili peppers vary in spiciness. I always buy the same type and use a whole pepper with seeds for a pot of soup. But it's based on my taste. Adapt it to your own preferences.

Start sautéing. If the thickness and quality of the pot allow it, you can do all the sautéing in it, especially because it won't take long. Pour oil into the heated pot and lightly sauté the onion, garlic, and hot chili pepper.

Add the carrots to the onion sauté and sauté for a couple more minutes. Use medium heat.

To the onion-carrot sauté, add the mushrooms, increase the heat, and sauté them lightly as well. Increase the heat so that the mushrooms don't release water right away, but at least get slightly browned.

Next, add Chinese cabbage, pour in the broth and let it simmer. If necessary, add a little salt. The vegetables will absorb some salt from the broth.

Cook the soup with Chinese cabbage and mushrooms for about ten minutes after it boils. Don't rush to add more broth or water. Both mushrooms and Chinese cabbage will release additional liquid. If after 10 minutes of cooking you feel that there is not enough liquid, then you can add more. In the end, add herbs and green onions. Bring it to a boil again, simmer for a minute and turn off the heat. Let it steep for a while.

That's it, the soup with Chinese cabbage and mushrooms is ready. It is not recommended to freeze such soup. Enjoy your meal!