Name: Vegetable Tea
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Malaysian Hakka
Ingredients: 7 ounces napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups); 5 ounces yao choy or mustard greens, thinly sliced (about 2 cups); 6 ounces baby bok choy or white-stemmed bok choy, thinly sliced (about 2 cups); ¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts; 7 ounces Chinese celery or common celery, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups); 6 to 8 ounces amaranth or red chard leaves, thinly sliced (about 5 cups); 10 cups water, or as needed; 6 to 8 ounces spinach leaves, thinly sliced (about 5 cups); 4 teaspoons minced garlic; 6 ounces Asian white radish, such as daikon, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup); ⅓ cup vegetable oil, or as needed; 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil; 6 thin slices fresh ginger, lightly crushed; 2 medium leeks (1 to 1½ pounds total, untrimmed weight); ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste; Salt; ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds; 4 ounces green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups); 2 cups dried anchovies (about 2 ounces), rinsed

Preparation info

Makes
8 to 10
servings as part of a multicourse meal

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Hakka Cookbook

By Linda Anusasananan

Published 2012

About

Loh Sye Moi makes this healthy light soup for special occasions, such as the birth of a son, or during the first ten days of Chinese New Year. She arranges eight different vegetables in a bowl to create a pretty kaleidoscope of greens. Each vegetable contributes a different texture and flavor—from mild to bitter, sweet to pungent. A clear broth is poured over the arrangement, and a spoonful of coarse ground peanuts and sesame seeds tops it off.

Much of the prep can