Gloria's Easy Hot & Sour Soup

Hot and Sour Soup is my favorite Chinese soup, especially during the cold winter months or when I'm feeling under the weather. Here is my own version, made with easy-to-find ingredients and no MSG. I prefer to use homemade broth, but you can certainly use store-bought broth for the sake of convenience. If you don't have rice wine vinegar, use regular white vinegar. Start with 4 tablespoons, and if you prefer more of a sour tang then add an additional 1/2-1 tablespoon. Likewise with the pepper: Begin with less, taste, and add more if desired.

The recipe below is vegan/vegetarian. You can substitute chicken broth if you prefer. If you're not a vegan and you do eat eggs, you can stir in a raw egg or two (as if you were making egg drop soup) for additional protein.

I like to garnish my soup with a little bit of fresh chopped green onion. Another good choice for a garnish would be freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.

Ingredients
6 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms (4 or 5 small mushrooms)

Chopping the bok choy

4 to 5 Tbs rice wine vinegar OR white vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 block (8 oz) extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 bunch bok choy, sliced
3 to 4 green onions (including tops), sliced
3 Tbs cold water
3 Tbs cornstarch

Combine all EXCEPT the last three (3) ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir, taste for balance and add more vinegar and/or pepper if desired.  Stir in the green onions, reserving a bit for a garnish. Combine the cold water and cornstarch in a small lidded jar, cover, and shake vigorously until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Stir cornstarch mixture into the soup and simmer, stirring frequently, until soup has thickened to desired consistency. Serve garnished with reserved green onion.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you enjoy Chinese and other Asian cuisines, you'll be happy to know that the Carolina Sauces online store now carries Huy Fong Sriracha (the famous and fiery "rooster" hot sauce!), as well as fresh chili garlic sauce and hard-to-find sambal oelek chili paste.