Ginger, mushroom and star anise noodle soup
Choy Love Club is the paid subscriber area of To Vegetables, With Love…Everyone (free and paid) will see a preview of this newsletter but only paid subscribers will see the recipes. As always, thank you for being here. Onto a bowl of comfort for uncertain times…
I write this week from the road. I am currently in Los Angeles for my Tenderheart launch events with Now Serving LA. By the time you read this, you may still have time to catch me at Woon Kitchen on Sunday June 11th from 5-8pm where there will be Tenderheart specials on the menu, the Now Serving team will be selling books, while I sign and chat (my specialty lol). On Monday June 12th at 7pm, I’ll be in conversation with Ben Mims at Now Serving. You may still be able to get tickets here. Then I’ll be moving onto Seattle, where I’ll be in conversation with my good friend Aran Goyoaga at Book Larder - that event is sold out but if you’d like a book signed, I’ll be hanging back after the event to do that for you - reserve your spot here. And then I’ll be ending the west coast portion of my tour in Portland with a meet and greet at Vivienne, followed by a Tenderheart-inspired vegan dinner cooked by newly-minted James Beard Award Winner Hannah Che and her popup Surong. Every event so far has been busy and lovely - thank you to everyone who has made this tour so special so far.
Signed copies of Tenderheart available from:
Kitchen Arts and Letters
Omnivore Books
Bold Fork Books (request)
Books Are Magic (request)
Now Serving LA
Happenings
There has been a lot of Tenderheart press this week, too much to share it all here, but here are a few snippets which I thought might interest you:
I had an evocative conversation with Scott Tong on Here and Now. There also share a few seasonal recipes from the cookbook.
I spoke with Francis Lam on the Splendid Table recently about summer veggies, Tenderheart and answered a few listener veggie questions.
I really enjoyed this review of Tenderheart. And also, this very comprehensive review which came out on launch day but which I forgot to share.
Also
Are you enjoying my plant powered II newsletter with Voraciously (The Washington Post). Last week’s theme was dumplings for dinner and it was a hit! If you haven’t already signed up, you can still do so here to get all 10 weeks of recipes! It will start at week 1.
The recipe
It’s been a strange week to be away from Brooklyn. A week when smoke flurries from up north more-or-less shut down the city (not an easy thing to do!) with public schools opting for a day of remote learning. I left the city while the skies were amber and have now made it west where the temperatures are…cool…a euphemism for cold.
This week, I am channeling comfort with this ginger and mushroom rice noodle soup. The unfussy broth is perfumed with star anise, redolent of my mother’s jook and phở. Star anise is a small yet mighty ingredient. With hints of licorice, it is named for the star-shaped pods from which the spice seeds are harvested. It may not be as ubiquitous as other spices but it brings an edge that is unlike any other ingredient. A pillar in Chinese cooking, the pods are used to season stews, braises, and meats and is one of the dominant flavours in Chinese five spice powder. It’s a great ingredient to use if you are looking to build depth of flavour, quickly.
