One of my family’s favorite soups is HOT & SOUR. Not only does it have an appealing kick, but I love that you can eat a lot of it with almost no calories. Yay! When I start my meal with a big bowl, it takes the edge off my hunger so I don’t inhale half a dozen eggrolls.
Added bonus: HOT & SOUR SOUP is fast and easy! Who doesn’t love that?!
HOT & SOUR SOUP – makes about 7 cups
- 6 cups vegetable stock (homemade or purchased)
- 9 oz (1 cup) fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 8 oz canned bamboo shoots
- 1 block extra-firm tofu
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1¼ tsp fresh grated ginger, or 1/2 tsp powdered
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 T sesame oil
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 4 T soy sauce
- 1 egg
- 3 T + 1/2 tsp cornstarch, divided
- 3 T + 1 tsp water, divided
- 2 scallions, sliced thin
Thoroughly wash shiitakes, discard stems, then cut into 1″-ish pieces. 
Cut bamboo shoots in half widthwise, then into slivers lengthwise. 
Press out excess liquid from tofu, then cut into 1/2″ cubes. 
Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add in mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
In a small bowl stir together 3 T cornstarch and 3 T water. 
Stirring stock, pour in slurry (cornstarch/water mix). Add in tofu, white pepper, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and scallions.
Simmer 5-10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp water. Turn off heat. VERY SLOWLY drizzle in the egg in a thin stream, going in all directions. 
Turn the heat on again and whisk gently to break up egg strands. Serve.
In our house we have broccoli nearly every night. It’s fast, it’s tasty, and it’s healthy. But sometimes one has to shake things up a bit.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 