Hot-and-Sour Soup

I’ve tasted plenty of different variations of Hot-and-Sour soup and this is my own version. I like my Hot-and-Sour soup to be chock full of surprises and this shimmering, flavorful version skips the cornstarch which can often make it gloppy. You can make Hot-and-Sour soup as hot or sour as you like. It’s up to you and your taste buds.

The beauty of this soup is that you can add whatever it is you like into to it, there are no rules. Seafood such as halibut, prawns, shrimp, crab, clams or scallops add a perfect dimension to the bowl. Add one or add them all.

Now you can however use cooked chicken cut in thin strips for a change from seafood.

There are a multitude of different mushrooms you can use, so get creative and add 3 or 4 types. Try the dried mushrooms as well.

I don’t add rice noodles or rice or any kind, but I do top the Hot and Sour Soup with plenty of Mung bean sprouts before I serve it. Be careful not to add too much sesame oil as the flavor is quite strong and can be over bearing.

Hot- and -Sour soup is perfect for that cold winter night or a great starter for an Asian-fusion meal, or perfect on it’s own as a main course. It only takes minutes to make this delicious soup, although I like to have the stock ready and 10 minutes before serving I add the remaining ingredients.

Hot-and-Sour Soup

Makes 6 large bowls

• 2-10 oz (568 ml) can or packaged organic, sodium reduced chicken broth
• 3 cups (750 ml) filtered water
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) grated fresh ginger
• 4 Tbsp (60 ml) Bragg’s sauce or tamari sauce
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) rice vinegar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) Coconut sugar or unpasteurized honey
• 2 tsp (10 ml) hot chili-garlic sauce
• 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
• 12 oz (360 ml) tofu (firm) (2 packages)
• 5 Roma or plum tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) fresh or dried various types of mushrooms
• 5 cups (1 ½ litres) mixed seafood
• 4 green onions
• Hand full of Mung beans to top each bowl
• 2 lemons or lime

Directions

• In a large soup pot add chicken broth and water, grated ginger, Bragg’s sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, sweetener, and sesame oil and bring mixture to a boil.
• Simmer and taste.
• Add more vinegar for zip or chili-garlic for fire.
• Dice tofu into small squares, chop tomatoes, slice mushrooms and diagonally slice green onions.
• Chop seafood or peel.
• Add to broth, cover and continue to simmer just until tofu is hot, scallops are opaque and shrimp are bright pink.
• Stir in green onions.
• Pour into bowls making sure that each bowl has plenty of each ingredient added.
• Top with Mung beans and a squeeze of sliced lemon or lime and serve.

Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetite!...TKH