Ingredients
275g carrots (2 large carrots)
520g celery (1 head)
600g leeks (4 leeks, roots and topmost part of greens trimmed off - use at least 6 " of green parts)
100g sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (1/2 jar)
50 ml olive oil (add oil to the oil from the tomatoes to make this volume)
410g chopped roasted tomatoes (1 tin TJ's fireroasted tomatoes)
425g garbanzo beans (1 tin water packed TJ's beans) Garbanzo beans are also known as chickpeas
450ml soy ginger vegetable broth (1/2 box TJ's soy ginger broth - vegetable broth with a tablespoon of soy sauce will substitute)
225g mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder
at least 2 teaspoons Szechuan sauce (more if you like highly spiced foods). Alternatively, use Worcester sauce with Tabasco - a few drops, or more, if you know you like it.
Method
Slice the carrots, celery and leeks into pieces no more than 2cm x 1cm.
Put the olive oil and 5 spice powder into a large heavy based saucepan (6 or 8 quart capacity for this volume).
Set to heat. Add the carrots, celery and up to half of the leeks. Keep the lid on the pot until it boils, then allow the steam to evaporate - the idea is to partly fry the vegetables. Once the carrots are soft, and the leeks partly transparent, add the remaining ingredients. Bring back to the boil, and turn down the heat to get a slow simmer for at least an hour.
This makes at least 6 large servings. It is a good base to which to add more green vegetables. COM gives 1836 calories for the whole recipe.