Vietnamese Fried Bean Curd Soup (Hu Tieu Chay)

Charring the onion and ginger: Char the onion and ginger. Wash the whole unpeeled ginger, pat dry. Peel the whole onion without cutting the stem to make sure the onion doesn't fall apart in the broth.

Place a grill on your stove, then char all the skin of the ginger and onion. Wrap them in aluminum foil.

Let cool for about 10 minutes. Wash the ginger and onion under running tap water; the blackened skin will come right off. Bruise the ginger using a hammer to loosen the flesh and help release all the flavor.Prepping the shiitake mushrooms: Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30-40 minutes and drain.

Remove and discard the stems.For the tapioca noodles: Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil.

Add the noodles. Wait for the water to come back to a boil (about 1-2 minutes), then lower the heat to medium-low for about 8 minutes.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Break the dried bean curd into pieces that fit in the pan.

Add the bean curd and fry until bubbly, crispy and golden.

Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan. Saut the garlic until golden.

Transfer to a plate.

Add the shallots to the oil, and cook, stirring frequently to prevent the shallots from burning, until the color is evenly golden brown.

Drain the liquid from the package of the tofu. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel.

Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Using the oil from the pan, pan-fry the slices until slightly golden. Don't overcook the pieces or they'll start to get hard. The tofu should still be moist.

Transfer all the tofu to a paper towel and let it cool. Once the tofu slices are cool enough to handle, cut them into long strips. Set aside on a plate.How to make vegetarian broth: In a large pot, combine the garlic, shallots, sliced dried daikon, charred onion, ginger, apples and 4 quarts of water. Bring to a roaring boil for about 30 minutes and cook until the broth is reduced by 1/

Regularly skim the impurities rising to the surface of the broth using a fine mesh strainer.

Add the carrot and daikon and lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Cook for about 20 more minutes.

Add the celery, rock sugar and mushroom seasoning salt. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove the daikon (if you like the taste), celery and carrot from the broth. Slice the vegetables and place them back in the broth. Check the seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust sweetness of the broth. The amount of sugar varies with the sweetness of the apples. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.Cooking the shiitake mushrooms: Ladle about 2-3 cups of the vegetable broth into a separate saucepan. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook for about 5-8 minutes.Assembly time:Line up your serving bowls.

Place a little chopped white onion, some green onions, bean sprouts, mint, basil and cilantro in each bowl.

Add the boiled drained tapioca noodles. Ladle the broth into the bowls with the carrots, celery and shiitake mushrooms from the other saucepan. Top with fried tofu and tofu skin (fried bean curd).

Garnish with more green onions, basil and cilantro.

Serve with chili garlic sauce (tng t) and fresh sliced green chiles on the side.

Serve immediately.Bon apptit!