I love the flavor of hot and sour soup; it's been a favorite on the Chinese restaurant menu for years. And I had no idea that it could be this easy. Even without the thickening agent cornstarch, this Thai/Vietnamese version has all the right flavors. And this recipe did not make a huge quantity, which is nice for a change. This recipe comes from AnnieNC, who says she found it on the internet years ago.
I decided to keep it simple, without a lot of extra veggies, but I did add some oyster mushrooms and several thinly sliced fresh scallops. With the tofu, the scallops made it more of a main coarse.
Unlike last week, I found I actually had most of the ingredients already in my pantry. And I had ginger root, cilantro and bean sprouts from our soup last week.
Hot and Sour Soup
Two 13-3/4 ounce cans low-salt chicken broth (I used a 32 oz. tetra pack)
3 slices of fresh ginger root
2 Tablespoons tamari or dark soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (more or less)
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1/2 cup firm tofu, diced into small squares
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 large sea scallops, thinly sliced (my addition)
3 ounces dried oyster mushrooms, rehydrated
Garnish
1 or 2 scallions, including greens, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
Bring the chicken stock and the fresh ginger root to a slow boil for two or three minutes.
Remove the ginger slices and discard. Turn the heat down slightly.
Add the rest of the liquid ingredients (I mixed them together while the stock and ginger simmered), the sugar and the white pepper. Simmer for about five minutes and then tast to make sure it's hot and/or sour enough. Adjust as needed.
Add the bamboo shoots and the tofu (and scallops and mushrooms). Stir gently.
Bring the soup to a slow boil again and quickly stir in the lightly beaten egg while stirring. Remove the pot from the heat immediately and continue to break up the egg pieces. Garnish and serve.
Variations
You can leave the egg out, use mushroom or vegetable broth, Sriracha hot sauce instead of hot chili oil, etc.
Other things you might add:
Garlic
Fresh baby spinach leaves or other green leafy thing
Sliced mushrooms
Water chestnuts
A can of stir-fry vegetables with baby corn
Mung bean sprouts
Snow pea pods
This might be my last soup with the Slow Soupers since we will be away next weekend. It has been a lot of fun; I certainly have made more soups than any other time in my life, and certainly ones I might not ever have tried. I think we could probably do this again next winter; there are many, many more soup recipes out there.
Comments (2)
Adding scallops is such a great idea! I love seeing your photos and am glad you liked it.
I agree, I'd definitely be game to do soup again next winter. It's really been a lot of fun and has gotten me out of my usual cooking rut. Plus it's fun to see all the variations that everyone can do to soup.
Posted by Annie | April 6, 2009 6:22 AM
Posted on April 6, 2009 06:22
I like the addition of the scallops - I will try that next time!
Posted by Jerry | April 6, 2009 12:42 PM
Posted on April 6, 2009 12:42