Hot & Sour Soup – An Indo Chinese Special

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps oil
• 12 spring onions - chopped bulbs only
• 4 tbsps finely minced fresh ginger
• 4 tbsps finely minced garlic
• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 5 tbsps Sambal Oelek or chilli paste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped while or brown fresh mushrooms
• Sliced Shitake mushrooms - 300 ml can OR handful of dried mushrooms soaked in a cup of hot water
• 2 tbsps finely chopped coriander stems only
• 3 tbsps rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsps dark soya sauce
• 4 tbsps canned bamboo shoots cut in julienne strips
• 1 carrot cut in thin julienne strips
• 2 tbsps firm tofu cut in julienne slices
• 2 tbsps cornstarch dissolved in a 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 a beaten egg
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped spring onion leaves

Instructions

1. Heat a few tbsps of oil and saute the chopped spring onion bulbs
3. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute for a minute
5. Add the Chicken pieces and sauté
7. Add the chilli paste, black pepper and the fresh mushrooms
9. Add the hot stock and bring to the boil
11. Add the coriander stems, shitake mushrooms, vinegar, soya, bamboo shoots, carrots and tofu. You must add everything really quickly so the carrots maintain their crunch
13. Add the cornstarch, stir in the beaten egg and stir with a fork to get ribbons of egg and finally add the coriander and spring onion leaves
15. Taste for salt - if making fresh stock you will need to add more than if using a cube or commercial stock