HOT & SOUR VEGETABLE SOUP

 

Hot and sour vegetable soup is one of claimed Chinese soup by the regional cuisines of Beijing and Sichuan as a regional dish. Traditionally the Chinese hot and sour soup is usually made of meat and also contains ingredients such as day lily buds, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots and tofu. It is typically made hot (spicy) by red peppers or white pepper, and sour by vinegar.

 

Hot and sour vegetable soup has made a niche in the Indo Chinese cuisine that refers to soups from the several Asian culinary traditions. The soup contains ingredients to make it both spicy and sour. Hot and sour vegetable soup is good for colds and a very refreshing soup. This soup is a spicy and tangy vegetable soup with good amount of nutrition and is also a low calorie soup.

 

The amount of pepper and vinegar here is enough to make the soup sufficiently, and respectively, "hot" and "sour", without being overwhelming. But if you like more bite and tang, feel free to add a tiny bit more of spiciness and for non-vegetarian or egg eaters remember to drizzle in the egg after adding the vinegar, or else the egg will just disperse and give the soup a cloudy appearance.

 

What comes to your mind when you see or hear the words "hot and sour soup"? Probably you would surely remember the Chinese soup you had as a starter in a Chinese restaurant. It is a generic descriptive name for a soup that is both spicy and sour at the same time. For example, tom yam is a Thai-styled hot and sour soup but because of the widespread popularity of the Chinese version, it has become synonymous with it.

 

The Hot and sour vegetable soup has a very complex taste like sour, spicy and savory all at the same time and looks very colorful with a tinge of gloss. Interesting the texture of the soup is smooth, slightly thickened and crunchy. The soup has the ability to warm the stomach and preps the palate for the food coming after. Hot and sour vegetable soup is a wonderful appetizer as the palate is stimulated or awakened by its spiciness and sourness.

 

The slightly thickened consistency adds to its charm. It also helps cut down the greasiness of a meal and aids digestion. This soup can be complicated or simple and is well combined with tofu, carrot, spring onions, mushrooms, ginger, beans and other sauces. You may have never tried making hot and sour soup because you thought it looks difficult. Or you have tried but it tasted bland. It is actually not difficult to wow your palate and those belonging to friends and family with this soup.

 

Here I shall tell you few secrets on how to make this delicious pot of soup at :

 

 

For preparing the Hot and sour vegetable soup, firstly you need to use a soup stock (you can use the chicken or vegetable stock or you can also use the readymade stock powder available in the super markets). Do not use just plain water to make the hot and sour soup coz this would be the major cause to make your soup bland.

 

In the bowl of stock as the rice vinegar which is best preferred as it is dark and adds a tinge of sweetness and tanginess to the soup. Add soya sauce, chilli sauce, pepper, little sugar, all vegetables of your choice (mushrooms, beans, carrots, ginger, spring onions) and ajinomoto.

 

Mix all the ingredients well and boil it in a pan. To this soup you can add tofu. Tofu is of 2 types a soft and firm variety but best is the firm variety. Once the mixture comes to boil add the tofu and sesame seed oil. Remove the extra froth from the soup while boiling.

 

Add cornflour mixture for slightly thickening the soup. Soup thickening requires constant stirring to prevent lumping. You can also add egg if you like it into your soup. To create nice egg streaks, guide the egg into the soup with a fork or a pair of chopsticks instead of pouring free hand.

 

You can stream the egg in a circular motion over the soup. Let it stand for a while to set. Then, gently stir the soup to create the streaks. You do not have to maintain a constant stream of beaten egg. You can stop pouring or streaming. Some people add the egg one spoonful at a time.

 

Do that if you want more control but do turn off the heat first. Remember to cut all the vegetable into thin strips over dicing. Use the shredder if necessary. The beauty of this soup is when you can taste all the different ingredients in one spoonful.

 

Making of this soup has minimal work but makes a full flavored luscious soup. The fresh vegetables in this soup are quickly and lightly cooked to provide an abundance of fiber, vitamins and minerals that make a healthy addition to any diet. But there’s much more than that to Hot and Sour Soup. This soup has anti aging, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties as well.

 

 

Hot and sour Vegetable soup

Author : Admin

Published On : Mar 11, 2008

Preparation Time: 7 min

Recipe Type : Soups/Salads

Cooking Time : 25 min

Standing Time : 5-8 mins

Yield : 4 (4 servings)

Ingredient : Mix Vegetable

 Description : Indo Chinese hot and sour soup

 

 

 

Ingredient Name	Unit	Quantity
ajinamoto salt	pinch	pinch
All vegetables	cup	1
sesame seed oil	tsp	1
stock	cup	3
sugar	pinch	pinch

Directions | How to make Hot And Sour Vegetable Soup
Take vegetable stock add chillie sauce as required,pepper,sugar,all vegetables,ajinamoto boil this once it comes to boil add sems ame oil, then mix corn flour in water and mix to this, bring this to boil again as thicker you want. Take a serving bowl add spring onions and soup into it.