Chinese Vegetable Chowder

I chose to make Chinese Vegetable Chowder this afternoon because of the simple ingredient list and because it has no garlic or onions in it. I am getting a little tired of garlic and onions in every recipe.  While the ingredients list is simple, the steps to make this soup were slightly complicated.

The recipe called for dried Chinese black mushrooms, which I was unable to find. Instead I used dried Shiitake mushrooms from PCC Natural Markets. Though I do not think these were the perfect replacement, they still worked well. The dried mushrooms took a 30 minute bath in hot water to soften.

While the mushrooms soaked, I put corn in the food processor to puree. I diced carrots and celery and steamed the veggies. Everything heated in a kettle with soy sauce and salt. I thought this soup was OK, not super delicious but pretty tasty.