Hot & Sour Soup
photo by Late Night Gourmet
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 17
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 6 ounces chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1⁄3 cup soy sauce
- 1⁄3 cup Chinkiang vinegar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (for hotter soup)
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 6 ounces bamboo shoots, cut into strips (canned is perfect)
- 6 ounces mushrooms, cut into strips
- 6 ounces water chestnuts, canned
- 3 ounces cornstarch (or 4 ounces of flour)
- 1⁄2 cup water (or use drained liquid from canned vegetables)
- 4 egg whites
- 3 ounces rice vinegar
- 6 ounces tofu, cut into strips
- 1 1⁄2 ounces green onions (chopped in 1 inch long pieces)
- 1 tablespoon pickled radishes
directions
- Cook chicken strips until they have an internal temperature of 170 degrees F (using a meat thermometer to test). Set aside. IMPORTANT: don't cook as much as you'd cook a chicken breast you might eat by itself: heating the soup will continue to cook the chicken, resulting in tough, overcooked chicken in your soup.
- Dissolve tamarind paste by heating with an ounce of the chicken stock. (microwave is a good way to do this). Remove any seeds from melted paste, since they're inedible.
- If using pickled radish, chop as finely as you can make it, since they're hard to chew.
- Bring stock to boil. Add tamarind/stock mixture, soy sauce, chinkiang vinegar, pepper, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, radish, and chestnuts; SAVE LIQUID FROM BAMBOO SHOOTS & CHESTNUTS. Stir. Let cook for 3 minutes.
- While cooking, in separate bowl combine cornstarch or flour and liquid from the previous step to make a slurry. Add slurry a little at a time and stir until thick (all slurry may not be necessary, so add as much as necessary for desired thickness).
- Add eggs while stirring and cook for 30 seconds or until eggs are done. Add green onions and chicken.
- Cut tofu into strips that are about 1/4" x 1/4" x however thick the tofu brick is.
- Remove from heat. Add rice vinegar and tofu and blend thoroughly.
- Serve with crispy fried won tons if desired.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Late Night Gourmet
Harrison Township, Michigan
I have two teenagers who keep things very busy around our house during the daytime. I also work long hours at Ford Motor Company, and I do want to spend time with my family every day. If I try to cook when my kids have their friends over, I'm certain to be interrupted. In other words, my available times for cooking are very limited.
I don't want to give up on anything I love - my family, my job, my cooking - so I do most of my cooking after everyone has gone to bed. My wife is a teacher, so this can be very late at night during the summer. Sometimes, I don't get started with my prep work until 12:30 a.m. Am I crazy?? Maybe.
I'm also constantly working on healthier ways to prepare food. I deconstruct every recipe I like, and try to make it with healthier ingredients. The big challenge is keeping the food tasty. I believe it's possible to enjoy what you eat and still be healthy. I lost 15 pounds in 6 months largely by preparing my own food (and exercising). If I didn't keep such loony hours, I'd call myself "The Healthy Gourmet".