Recipe- Hot and Sour Soup

We are falling into soup season pretty quickly, so I thought I would share my first soup recipe. (The first of probably many!) When I purchased “Thug Kitchen 101,” the recipe for hot and sour soup jumped out at me. I loved going out for Chinese, but I hadn’t had hot and sour soup in so long! So much flavor is packed into this seemingly simple soup. You can always leave the tofu out if it scares you. (I leave the mushrooms out!😖-I know, bad vegan! I have tried to like them and I just can’t!) This soup is perfect as a side to Pad Thai (see recipe) or a vegetable filled stir fry! It will definitely warm you up on a chilly day with both the literal heat from the soup and the powerful flavors!

Serves: 4-6

*Recipe can be found in Thug Kitchen 101 which I highly recommend, especially if you’re a newer vegan. I adapted slightly.*

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons neutral cooking oil

1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (I omitted.)

2 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon fresh, minced ginger or ground if you don’t have fresh

5 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon garlic chili paste

1 teaspoon agave

1 can sliced bamboo shoots

1/2 block extra firm tofu, cut into dice-size cubes

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons water

2 cups green cabbage, sliced thinly

1/4 cup diced green onions

Black pepper to taste

Recipe notes:

-The original recipe calls for an entire block of diced tofu. As much as I love tofu, I recommend using about half, maybe 3/4 the block. It tends to soak up the broth, and having that much tofu can be bad news for your leftovers. If you find this has happened to you, simply add more broth and season accordingly! Also, if you’re intimidated by tofu, you can cut it into even smaller pieces than I did.

-I use the thai chili garlic paste seen here. It’s found at most local grocery stores.

-Omit first step if you detest mushrooms as I do. For the rest of you, I think the mushrooms work well in this recipe, (as long as you like them, of course!), so feel free to include them.

Directions:

*Warm the oil in a large soup pot. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, constantly stirring.*

If using fresh garlic and ginger, but no mushrooms, saute spices in oil for a few minutes in a large soup pot.

Add broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, and agave. Also add garlic powder and ground ginger, if using instead of fresh.

Stir well and bring to a simmer.

Add the bamboo shoots and tofu, mix well, and bring to a simmer again.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water until fully mixed.

Slowly add to the simmering pot.

Stir well until it starts to thicken a little bit, about 4 minutes.

Mix in cabbage, green onions, and some black pepper.

Let simmer for another 5 minutes to let the flavors come together.

Remove from heat and add whatever toppings you’d like. Cilantro, chili oil, more green onions. Serve hot and immediately!