Far East Cafe Seaweed Soup
Categories: Vegetables,Pork,Soups,Japanese and Japanese American Recipes
When my mom, Christine, was a little girl growing up in post-war Los Angeles, eating in a restaurant was a serious affair—really serious. I mean, someone actually had to die first. You see, her parents—like most mainland Japanese Americans—had been abruptly uprooted and carted inland during the war, and when they returned home to California after years of "camp" in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, money was tight. So the family would eat out only on the rarest of occasions: after funerals.
These dinners were always held at Chinese restaurants—often at the Far East Cafe in Little Tokyo, near downtown LA. My mom describes the food as "old-time Cantonese," and despite the depressing circumstances of her visits there, she must have liked it because years later, she recreated the seaweed soup that was one of the family's must-order items. I grew up eating this soup, but didn't learn the story behind it until I asked my mom about it for this post. I will resist the temptation to call it "funeral soup" and stay faithful to her recipe, in name and substance.
FAR EAST CAFE SEAWEED SOUP
1/4 pound ground pork
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and finely sliced
1/4 cup minced water chestnuts
1 cup cubed tofu
1/4 cup peas
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
White pepper and salt to taste
3 sheets lightly toasted nori (pass them over an open burner a few times)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
Brown meat in a little oil. Add about 4-5 cups water or lightly seasoned chicken broth. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, and tofu. Cook for ten minutes or so and add seaweed torn in large pieces. Add seasonings and peas (don't keep them in broth too long). Take pan off heat and swirl in the egg and add scallion. Serve piping hot!
Soup's On all this month at the blog A Veggie Venture—be sure to check out the warming recipes!
Categories: Soups, Vegetables, Pork, Japanese and Japanese American Recipes
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Wow, the beginning of this post totally made me so very sad. I get so angry when I think about internment camps....
but on to happier topics, that soup looks so lovely. Hearty but yet clear... and still filling and soothing! It's a paradox.
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Yeah, internment camps suck! Let's hope nothing like that happens ever again. Glad you like the soup--I was happy to learn the story behind it, too.
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Hello, Sarah .. thank you for publishing my recipe for seaweed soup. It was a lovely tribute and am glad these recipes from your childhood bring back fond memories. hugs, mom
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Hi Mom--thanks for sharing your recipe. It was such a great story and when I did a little research, I found so much information on the Far East Cafe and it's significance to the JA population in Los Angeles.
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Wow what a flashback my mother used to go to the Far East Cafe when she was a little girl and like your parents my Mother, Father & Grandparents were all sent to internment camps(Jerome,Ark.) Growing up we would drive from Long Beach to little Tokyo to feast at Far East Cafe always bring friends along. I remember the little old man who used to greet you at the door, my mom said he had been there since she was a little girl, I figured he had to be about 150 years old.Walking thru the doors seemed to take you back to the 40's, partioned eating areas, all male waiters talking in Chinese, loud, smokey it was great. My brothers and sister carried on the tradition until a fire closed down the resturant. I understand it is now open again but I think under a different name. Have you been to the new resturant? Also what brought me to your site was my search for Far East Cafe's recipe for water chestnut hash. Would your mom have that recipe. I'd love to find the recipe. Finally knowing the hardships and sacrifices that all Japanese-Americans made so their unborn children would never have to face such a injustice makes me even more proud of my hertitage.
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Hi Calvin--I'm so glad this brought back memories for you. I've actually never been to the Far East Cafe--though my mom is a native Angelino (isn't that what you people call yourselves?), I grew up in Michigan and now live in New York. Since I've always lived apart from the Japanese American "community," if you will, it's doubly exciting for me to hear from other Japanese Americans (I tend to publish a lot of my mom's recipes on this blog, so I've heard from a few). When I researched Far East Cafe for my post, I was surprised to learn the place had been open until 1994, and yes, there is a new restaurant in its place, I think. I don't know if my mom remembers the water chestnut hash, or would know how to make it, but I'll certainly ask! Thanks so much for your comment--Sarah
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Hi,
Just wanted you to know that I tried your soup recipe and it was sooooo good. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story and delightful soup.
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Hey V--I'm so pleased! My mom will be too!
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Sarah,
The story brought back memories for me, too. Being a Sansei with both of my parents being in the camps, we were rather poor growing up and I remember making that trek to Little Tokyo once in a while for a funeral then the chinese restaurant. It brings back great memories of my parents and growing up. The soup recipe is great and I will make it for family dinners in the near future. You have fed my body and soul. Thank you.
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Hi Alan--
I'm so glad the recipe brought back memories for you! I hope you and your family enjoy the soup.
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Hi Sarah
Loved the history of the soup recipe, especially since I've eaten at the Far East Cafe when I too was a child. My parents were also in the internment camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming, in fact that's where they were married. We also ate out only on special occassions. The seaweed soup was one the dishes we always ate, and it was one of my favorites. I now live in Indiana, and miss all the ethnic foods, and often think about the seaweed soup from the Far East Cafe. Now I can eat the soup, once again. Ingredients are difficult and expensive to get around here, but that's o.k. Thanks for the recipe
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Hi Linda--Wow, that's so interesting. Thanks for sharing your family's story. I hope the soup lives up to your memories of it!
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To Sarah's Nisei mom,
Thanks for sharing the Far East soup recipe. I'm an L.A. sansei who also grew up eating at the Far East on those rare occasions, and have many happy memories of my grandparents gathering all of the family together following some big event(not all funerals, happily).
I too have a shelf of those spiral-bound JA cookbooks, many of which are stained with shoyu and mirin. Still fortunate to have help just a phone call away: "Mom, what else did Mama put into her mazegohan?" "Auntie, how come my pork gyoza doesn't taste like yours?"
Thanks for sharing. Also, have you ever figured out why we (Niseis and Sanseis) love potato salad with every kind of bento?
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Also, a Far East update: It reopened nearly two years ago after extensive retrofitting. Sadly, the menu and food are not what we remember. I know so many JA guys who mourn the loss of the Far East's harmyu (that steamed pork-fat dish that my uncles and boy cousins loved, but that none of the girls would eat).
If Sarah's Mom cares to share more recipes, we'd love to see them. Also, I'll bet a gallon of Kikkoman that one (or both) of you ladies has an empty tofu container full of twist ties and rubber bands in your kitchen. It's probably next to the rice-sack dish towel.
And why, why, why do we rinse and save the take-out sushi containers?
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