Mushroom Ginseng Stew - Slow Cooker

Author: Sabrina at Straits Road Kitchen

Cook time : 6 hours

10 g (1 tbsp) grass-fed ghee or olive oil
200 g (1 large) yellow onion
454 g (1 lb) tender mushrooms (such as shiitake or cremini), sliced (choose shiitake if you want more medicinal compounds in your soup)
8 cloves garlic, smashed
180 g (1 cup) Job's tears (coix seed)
24 g (3-4 pieces) dried Chinese yam
8 g (2-4 slices) dried reishi mushroom
8 g (2-4 slices) Solomon's seal rhizome
6 g Ginseng root or ginseng slices
6 g (4 slices) wild astragalus root
3 g (1 pc) Agaricus blazei mushroom
4 no black jujube
8 g kombu seaweed
1.9 L (8 cups) filtered water
30 g (2 tbsp) white miso (adjust to taste)
1 bunch hearty greens (such as kale or chye sim), roughly chopped
200 g (1 block) cooked tempeh or firm tofu, diced

Set a slow cooker to saute mode; or set a saute pan on the stove. Add the ghee or oil, then add the onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes.
Rinse and drain the Job's tears. In a bowl, combine the dried herbs (Chinese yam, resihi, Solomon's seal, ginseng, astragalus, A. blazei, jujube). Rinse and drain the herbs.
In a slow cooker, combine the onion/mushroom mixture, Job's tears, herbs, and water. Cook on low setting for 6 hours.
5 minutes before serving, stir in the miso and and vegetable. Cover and cook until the vegetables are just wilted, but still retain their bright green colour. This will take only minutes.
To serve, ladle the stew into serving bowls. Serve with tempeh or tofu for a higher protein and complete meal.