Part 64 (2/2)

3 teaspoons Asian hot chile oil

teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 cups thick-sliced white mushrooms

1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

1 cup cold water

1 pound extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into match-

sticks (see tip)

cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped scallions

PLACE THE wood ear mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so that they are submerged by a few inches. Cover with a plate and let sit for 20 minutes.

To prepare the napa leaves, lay them on top of each other so that they're spooning. Thinly slice across them widthwise. Set aside.

Pour the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chile oil, sesame oil and white pepper into a soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the cabbage and the fresh mushrooms. Cook until the cabbage is completely wilted, about 5 minutes.

The wood ears should be ready at this point, so remove them from the bowl, cut into bite-size pieces, and add them to the soup as well.

Mix the arrowroot with the water until dissolved. Add to the soup and stir until just slightly thickened, a minute or two. This soup isn't going to be very thick, just more cloudy than anything else. But the starch gives the soup a little body.

Add the shredded carrots and tofu, and cook just until heated though, about 5 more minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions to serve.

MIDSUMMER CORN CHOWDER WITH BASIL, TOMATO, AND FENNEL.

SERVES 6 TO 8.

TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES.

This fresh, soothing corn chowder uses the best of the season's produce. You can expect the unexpected with the bold and tasty addition of fresh basil and fennel bulb. Make this on a lazy summer evening when you don't need to be anywhere anytime soon, and use that extra time to prepare the Fresh Corn Stock (next recipe), which gives this soup a rich, complex base. We like this corn chowder recipe because it doesn't rely on the addition of any soy dairy products (which usually is the case with vegan creamy soups) to achieve a smooth, velvety texture.

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