These vegetables are simply "natural MSG", boiled in water = "vegetarian soup" that's so delicious it's eyebrow-dropping

A pot of delicious and refreshing soup with diverse ingredients can warm the stomach and provide nutrition alone, and it can also be paired with other dishes and staple foods. However, many traditional soups are based on meat, which is a bit greasy and heavy for the gradually warming weather, and is not suitable for everyone's urgent need to "not lose weight in March, and regret it in April, May, June, and July".

But in fact, you can also use some vegetarian dishes to make delicious soup that is not inferior to chicken soup and pork ribs soup, which will give you a double satisfaction of lightness and nourishment ~ The secret of the "umami" of the soup

If you want to make a delicious vegetarian soup, you must first understand what factors determine the deliciousness of the soup.

Although ingredients, heat and cooking utensils all play a role in different links, the role of ingredients is decisive . The various ingredients in the ingredients not only make the soup more delicious, but also improve the taste, smell and visual state of the soup, achieving the effect of color, aroma and taste.

1

Umami amino acids and small molecule peptides bring umami flavor to soup

Common umami amino acids include glutamic acid (combined with salt to form monosodium glutamate, the main component of MSG), aspartic acid (another component of MSG), phenylalanine, alanine, glycine and tyrosine, which are widely found in many foods. Aquatic products are rich in umami amino acids, which is why fish, shrimp and shellfish are delicious when used to make soup.

Umami peptides are small molecule peptide umami substances composed of various amino acids such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Like umami amino acids, they are widely present in natural foods such as meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables.

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2

Fats provide flavor, taste and color

During the heating process, fat releases volatile aromatic substances such as aldehydes, ketones, and esters, which give the soup a charming aroma. The aroma of stewed meat soup comes from fat as soon as it is opened. Fat dissolves in water under high temperature and gradually emulsifies, giving the soup a smooth and mellow taste. After a large amount of fat is emulsified, not only can the floating "oil" not be seen, but the soup can also be milky white. Many people like to drink milky white fish soup because of its good color, aroma and taste.

3

Salt can both enhance the flavor and improve the state of the soup

As mentioned above, the combination of salt and umami amino acids greatly increases the umami flavor of the soup. At the same time, the presence of an appropriate amount of salt will promote the dissolution of protein in the soup, making the soup more rich. In addition, when there is more fat in the soup, salt can help stabilize the fat emulsification system and improve the color and state of the soup.

4

Sugar, a little secret to making soups more delicious

"Adding a little sugar" is a little secret of many chefs to enhance the flavor of soup. Adding a little sugar will not make the soup sweeter, but it can balance and improve the taste. Sugar can not only balance the sourness of the ingredients to a certain extent (for example, some vegetables have astringent taste), but also promote the release of umami substances such as amino acids, making the sweetness and freshness even better. In addition, the interaction between sugar and salt can moderately "weaken" the saltiness, making the taste softer and more layered.

Use these vegetables

Cooking fresh eyebrow-dropping "vegetarian soup"

Now that we know the source of the soup’s “umami” flavor, let’s take stock of the vegetables that can be used to make “vegetarian broth.” It’s actually very simple—as long as they are also rich in umami amino acids.

1

"Natural MSG" category

Have you ever found that vegetarian soups with common mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and shimeji mushrooms, or algae such as kelp and laver, are particularly delicious? This is because mushrooms and algae are rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, alanine and other umami amino acids and nucleotides, and mushrooms also contain a certain amount of soluble sugars. You only need to add a little salt to get a very sweet and delicious taste.

Mushroom and Vegetable Soup

Material:

100 grams of shiitake mushrooms, 100 grams of green vegetables, salt, pepper, appropriate amount of oil, chopped green onions, and coriander.

practice:

Wash the mushrooms and cut the greens into sections;

Add a small amount of oil to the pan, put the mushrooms with the cap facing down, fry until soft, and cut into small pieces with a spatula;

Pour in an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes;

Add greens and cook for 3-5 minutes;

Add salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped green onions and coriander before serving.

2

Sweet and sour auxiliary

Vegetables such as tomatoes, baby cabbage, pumpkin, corn, etc. are naturally sour and sweet. Using them to make soup can make the soup taste more delicious and nourishing.

Tomatoes, in particular, are rich in organic acids, sugars, and lycopene, which not only give the soup a sweet and sour taste and beautiful color, but also contain a high level of glutamate, which can enhance the umami flavor. This is why tomatoes are delicious whether paired with meat (such as tomato sirloin) or vegetarian dishes (such as tomato tofu soup).

Tomato Corn Soup

Material:

2 tomatoes, 100 grams of white mushrooms, 100 grams of corn kernels (fresh or frozen), salt, pepper, appropriate amount of oil, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and coriander.

practice:

Wash and cut tomatoes into pieces, wash and pick white mushrooms, and set aside corn kernels;

Add a small amount of oil to the pan, add minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, and stir-fry the white jade mushroom until water comes out;

Add tomato cubes, fry until soft, then pour in appropriate amount of water;

When the water is boiling, add corn kernels and cook for 3-5 minutes;

Add salt and pepper, stir well, and sprinkle with chopped green onion and coriander before serving.

Pumpkin can make soup more mellow, and its rich carotenoids are also good for eyesight.

In addition to its sweet taste, baby cabbage is also a major source of umami amino acids. When baby cabbage is cooked until soft, glutamic acid and aspartic acid are fully released. Baby cabbage tofu soup, baby cabbage mushroom soup, and baby cabbage preserved egg soup are all delicious and healthy.

Baby Cabbage and Tofu Soup

Material:

1 baby cabbage, 60 grams of corn kernels (fresh or frozen), 1 piece of firm tofu, salt, pepper, oil to taste, minced garlic, and a little chopped green onion.

practice:

Wash and slice the baby cabbage, cut the tofu into cubes, and set aside the corn kernels;

Add a small amount of oil to the pan and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant;

Pour in appropriate amount of water, add baby cabbage, and cook for 5 minutes;

Add tofu and corn kernels and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes;

Add salt and pepper, stir well, and sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving.

3

Nutritionally upgraded soy products

Compared with other vegetarian dishes, bean products such as tofu, dried bean curd, and bean curd skin have the nutritional advantages of high protein and high calcium. In addition, bean protein releases umami substances such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid during the stewing process. If combined with mushrooms, the taste of the soup can be greatly improved. It should be noted that dried bean curd and bean curd skin have a high salt content, so the amount of salt should be reduced when cooking soup.

By the way, bean sprouts are also a good ingredient for soup. Studies have shown that the content of umami amino acids such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid increases during the germination process of beans, becoming the main source of their umami flavor. Bean sprout tofu soup and bean sprout spinach soup are both refreshing and delicious vegetarian soups.

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4

Flavor and seasoning

Some people like to add coriander, basil, mint and other condiments containing a lot of alcohol, aldehyde and terpenoid volatile aroma substances when cooking soup, which can indeed make vegetarian soup fresh and pleasant. Some people also like to add onions and garlic to make the soup taste richer. Although the choice of condiments is a matter of opinion, these dishes are rich in antioxidants such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and organic sulfides, which are very beneficial to health.

5

Seasonal wild vegetables

Seasonal wild vegetables such as shepherd's purse, water shield, purslane, etc. also contain a certain amount of amino acids. Cooking soup with these wild vegetables is also a seasonal enjoyment. For example, water shield tofu soup is a special delicacy in the Jiangnan region. However, these vegetables are highly seasonal and cannot be eaten all year round.

The above vegetarian soups not only taste good, but also have a significant advantage over meat soups: low fat and low purine . As long as you avoid using heavy oil to stir-fry the vegetables before making the soup, the fat content in these vegetarian soups will be quite low. As for purine, except for mushrooms and bean sprouts, which contain high purine, most of the other categories are low-purine foods and can be eaten with confidence!

References

[1] Liu Yuan, Zhu Yiwen, Li Mingyang, et al. Hot topics in food umami research: controversies and functions[J]. Food Science, 2022, 43(19): 8-16.

[2] Zhang Jianan. Study on the release of peanut umami peptides and their umami intensity enhancement[D]. South China University of Technology, 2025-03-01.

[3] Yuan Yuan, Zhou Xianyu, Li Guangguang, Zheng Yansong, Jiang Ding, Ren Hailong, Lei Jianjun, Zhang Hua. Comprehensive evaluation and comparison of the amino acid nutritional value of Chinese flowering cabbage and its related subspecies[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2019, 45(14): 102-107.

[4] Yue Wenting, Lu Lixia, Yang Wenyu, et al. Nutritional quality analysis of whole soybean tofu with different composite coagulants[J]. Soybean Science, 2020, 39(1): 138-145.

[5] Zhao Tianyao, Wang Liyun, Jiang Hongwei, et al. Study on nutritional quality, functional components and antioxidant activity of bean seeds and their sprouts[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2020, 46(5): 83-90.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Lu, registered dietitian

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin