Veg Manchow Soup

INGREDIENTS
For the soup:
¼ cup shredded cabbage
¼ cup grated carrots
¼ to ⅓ cup sliced or chopped mushrooms
¼ cup finely chopped french beans
¼ cup finely chopped onion or spring onion whites
1 tsp finely chopped ginger/adrak
1 tsp finely chopped garlic/lahsun
1 tsp finely chopped celery (optional)
1 to 2 fresh red chilies or green chilies, finely chopped
½ tsp rice vinegar or regular vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce or add as required
¼ tsp black pepper or white pepper powder, add as required
3 cups water or veg stock
6 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water (for a slight thicker consistency in the soup, dissolve 7 to 8 tsp corn starch in 3 tbsp water)
2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves for garnish, (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil or any other oil
salt as required
For the fried noodles: (optional)
⅓ cup cooked noodles
oil for frying, as required

METHOD
First chop all the veggies and keep aside.
heat oil in a wok or pan and add the chopped fresh red chilies, garlic and ginger.
saute for a minute and then add chopped onions. saute again for a minute.
now add finely chopped french beans and chopped mushrooms.
stir fry on a medium to high flame till the mushrooms get lightly browned from the edges.
then add grated carrots, shredded cabbage, finely chopped capsicum/bell pepper & celery.
stir fry on a medium to high flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
in the meantime, if you have cooked noodles, then add them to oil for frying. this is an optional step.
fry the noodles till they are crisp. drain the fried noodles on kitchen paper towels.
once the veggies are stir fried for 3 to 4 minutes, then add soy sauce and black pepper. stir.
now add water or veg stock.
season with salt. allow the soup to come to a simmer on a medium flame. keep a check on the amount of salt as soy sauce already has a lot of salt.
meanwhile. make a smooth paste of the corn starch with water.
add the corn starch paste to the soup. stir very well and let the manchow soup thicken.
lastly add rice vinegar or regular vinegar. switch off the flame. stir and check the taste. add more seasonings like salt, black pepper or soy sauce or vinegar if required.
stir and serve vegetable manchow soup hot topped with fried noodles. you can also mix chopped coriander leaves towards the end or serve the soup garnished with coriander leaves.