Hot and sour soup is an awesomely delicious soup which is easy to make. This is a soup that contains the healing powers of both chicken broth and vinegar. It is a hearty soup that is filling and sure to impress your family and friends. /li>
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken broth (add extra flavour and richness by adding 2 tsp of Vegetable Broth Mix
- 1/4 cup bamboo shoots
- 1/3 cup cubed firm tofu (small block)
- 1/4 cup chopped lily flowers (soaked in cold water to soften before chopping)
- 1/4 cup sliced bbq pork or roasted chicken breast
- 1/4 cup baby shrimp
- 2 tbsp chopped spring onions
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 egg beaten
- Salt and white pepper to taste.
Sauce Mix
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (gluten free soy sauce is available)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp home made chili oil (combine 1 tsp organic chili flakes into 1/2 cup olive oil. Ratio can be adjusted based on how spicy you want the oil to be This can be kept in a glass container and used for other recipes, marinades,etc.)
- 1 tsp organic Chinese Five Spice
Thickening Mixture
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/8 cup of cold water
- mix corn starch and water well to create a slurry until the corn starch is dissolved. Feel free to add more water if necessary.
Preparation:
In a large sauce pan add chicken broth, lily flowers and tofu and bring to a boil.
Add the sauce mix to the broth and bring to boil again. Then simmer for approximately 20 min until the flavours meld together.
Add the thickening mixture.
Keep broth simmering on low heat.
Slowly add beaten egg into the hot soup and keep stirring so the egg becomes stringy in the soup as it cooks.
When soup boils again remove from the burner
Add BBQ pork or chicken.
Add baby shrimp.
Add sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste.
It is ready to serve.
Garnish with spring onions. Add cilantro if desired.
This soup demands personalization.
Make it the density you wish by adding more or less thickening mixture.
Make is as sour as you wish by adjusting the amount of vinegar.
Make it as spicy as you wish by adjusting the amount of chili oil.
You can add a 1 tsp of red food colouring to make the soup a deeper red and allow it to glisten.
Chef's Tip:
You can replace the chicken broth with beef broth if desired to create a deeper richer flavoured soup.
This soup last in your fridge for a few days, so it is great to have on hand during the winter season.
About the Chef:
Suzy Cui is a renowned Asian Cooking Instructor in the Windsor area for over a decade.
She is the host of the cooking show Culture Cooking with Suzy Cui which airs on Your TV, channels 11 and 700
She was also on the top 50 list of competitors of season two, of Master Chef Canada.
