Bean Hotpot from Stardew Valley

It sure is healthy.⁠—Stardew Valley item description

Well, I know a couple recipes.  I thought I’d send you one… maybe it’ll help you mine ore or something.  Take care.⁠—Clint

Bean hotpot! It’s one of Demetrius’s favorite meals, it’s healthy, it…might help you mine. At least, that’s what Clint says when he sends you the recipe. Since this recipe comes from Clint, I wanted to make something for a single, hardworking person. It’s perfectly savory and satisfying, with the crispy green beans playing off soft noodles and chewy tofu. It comes together quickly and makes a big batch to eat over the course of several days. And of course, ingredients are mostly things you can find in-game—mushrooms and (cave) carrots, along with scallions and green beans—but they are also easy to substitute. Not a fan of tofu? Use shredded chicken or your preferred protein instead. Going gluten free? Use rice or kelp noodles, or leave out the noodles entirely and add a whole pound of green beans instead.

If you care about noodle texture, store the cooked noodles separately and add them when you reheat the soup. What ways would you personalize your bean hotpot? Let me know in the comments and consider joining my Patreon to suggest more content!

This recipe is adapted from Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, grated

½-1 teaspoon olive oil

½ lb brown mushrooms, such as shiitake or baby bella, roughly chopped

¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

pinch of chili flakes

1 lb firm tofu

½ lb baby cut carrots or whole carrots, sliced

5 scallions, chopped

¾ lb fresh or frozen green beans, cleaned and prepped

1 lb fresh or frozen noodles, such as udon (optional)

chopped cilantro and sriracha, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the olive oil to a pot over medium heat, then add the garlic and ginger. Once you begin to smell the garlic and ginger, pour in 8 cups of water.
2. Bring to a boil, add mushrooms, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chili flakes, then turn to low. Cover and let simmer 20 minutes.
3. Cut tofu as preferred, then add the tofu, carrots, and scallions to the soup. Cook for roughly 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
4. Add green beans and noodles, if using, and cook for 5-7 minutes until green beans are tender crisp or noodles are warm and soft. Taste and season the broth as needed with more soy sauce or sesame oil.
5. Ladle soup into bowls and serve warm, topped with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce