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When I'm sick, there's not much better than a hot bowl of soup. Last week, I was still fighting the dregs of this awful cold, and John offered to make me soup. We picked up a new cookbook at Costco the other day, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Ingredients
- 28 oz chicken broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 3-4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 scallions
Directions
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and slice them. Beat the egg well and set aside.
In a large pot (at least 4.5 quarts), combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and 2 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil and add the mushrooms.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the rice vinegar and cornstarch together to form a thick syrup. Add to the pot and cook for another minute or two, until the soup thickens.
Take a slotted spoon and pour the well beaten egg into the pot through the spoon. This is what creates the ribbons of egg in the soup. It probably won't look "right" as you pour in the egg, but trust me, it will sort itself out.
Take the grated ginger and squeeze any juice you can out of it. We used a fine sieve for this, but cheesecloth would work better. Add the ginger to the soup and taste. You could add more red pepper, more vinegar, or more soy sauce if desired.
Top with sliced scallions.
Our notes: This was quite tasty. I've had better hot and sour soup at restaurants, but not often. We omitted tofu because I'm not a big fan of the texture, but you could certainly add some in after you add the egg. Even though it's not common, I'd even consider adding some shredded chicken to the pot for a complete meal.
Hi there!
Found your site while searching for recipes for local food. I made the hot and sour soup for lunch. It was great an I'll be using it again! I used some leftover broth from last evenings supper and threw in some cooked rice that was also leftover. My farmer's market eggs and green onions really shone through in this.
I look forward to trying more recipes!