Southeastern Vegetable Stew

8 cups vegetable stock

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 cups turnip, cut into bitesized pieces

1 Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Western cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into bitesized pieces

1 cup sliced leeks

2 cups sliced celery

4 cups roughly chopped kale

1 can straw mushrooms, drained

5 cakes hard tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

6 tablespoons soybean paste

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3 cups bean noodles, soaked, and cut into short lengths

½ cup chopped cilantro

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Bring the stock to a boil and add the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar.
2. Reduce the heat, add the vegetables and tofu, and simmer vegetables are almost tender.
3. In a small sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add paste and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger, until the garlic is golden.
4. Add the soybean paste mixture to the soup. Stir in the noodles and cilantro, and simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Season with the pepper and additional fish sauce to taste.