Mushroom and Tofu Soup

Straw mushrooms: Use a sharp knife to lightly scrape the base (as you would scrape ginger skin). This leaves the mushrooms clean, round and more attractive, and is far less wasteful than cutting off the base entirely. Fresh, firm straw mushrooms are very easy to scrape. Straw mushrooms often have a slightly musty smell, so as soon as they're scraped, put them in a bowl of lightly salted water, soak for 15 minutes, then rinse twice more – they'll smell fresh and lose their sliminess.

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in water for about 30 minutes until they swell, turning them so the stems touch the water, then rinse and drain.
Enoki mushrooms: When you bring home bagged enoki, keep them in the bag to keep them clean and stop them breaking or tangling, and cut off the base with a knife without taking the mushrooms out. This keeps your chopping board, knife and hands clean. To wash them, turn the bag upside down under a running tap, shake and squeeze gently so the mushrooms don't get crushed. Pour out the dirty water and repeat a few times – you'll have perfectly clean, tidy mushrooms that keep their natural flavour and nutrients. When you're ready to cook, just squeeze the bag gently to push the mushrooms out.
Rinse the silken tofu gently so it doesn't break, and cut into bite-sized pieces – not too small, or it will fall apart when cooked. Chop the spring onions and coriander. Finely chop the shallots.

Heat some oil in a pot and fry the shallots until fragrant. Add the shiitake, enoki and straw mushrooms one after another and stir-fry briefly, then add a little soy sauce and vegetarian seasoning powder and toss to absorb.

Add ½ litre of water to the pot and bring to the boil. Next add the tofu, simmer for a while, then season to taste with vegetarian seasoning powder and salt. When the soup returns to the boil, turn off the heat. Add the chopped spring onions and coriander and ½ tablespoon of MSG, and give the soup one gentle stir with a ladle to dissolve. Don't stir vigorously, or the tofu will break up.