Minggu, 13 Januari 2008

Slow Cooker Hot and Sour Soup Recipe



Day 13.

I am sick. I've been sick on and off since Christmas, and it's getting old. No, I haven't been to a doctor. I prefer the Internet. I've tried steam, I've tried drinking more water, I've tried exercising, I've tried sleeping more, hot water and honey, and whining. Lots of whining.



Please don't tell me to get a neti pot.

You're going to tell me to get a neti pot, aren't you?
But I'm scared!


In-between nose blows, I made some hot and sour soup to help with the sinus-draining. I adore hot and sour soup. Is there a stronger word than adore? I am infatuated with hot and sour soup. That doesn't sound right.


Hot and Sour Soup. It's the bomb.


It is very tasty, and I think you should make it and bring me some more. Because I ate it all. While you're at it, you can bring me those really nice Puffs tissues imbedded with aloe lotion.




The Ingredients:
serves 2-3













--1 cup cubed firm tofu (I used one-half of that Trader Joe's two-pack.)
--2 cups chicken broth
--2 cups water
--1 package of sliced mushrooms
--1 can bamboo shoots
--1 can sliced water chestnuts
--2 tablespoon soy sauce (La Choy is gluten-free)
--1 teaspoon sesame oil
--2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (and some more later)

--1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (and some more later)
--green onion for garnish



The Directions:

Wash your hands. Stop blowing nose.

Combine everything in your slow cooker. I used a 5 quart, and I think it was filled about 2/3 of the way full. Here's a picture since I am horrible at judging fraction-y type things:





If I did it again, I'd use a 3 or 4 quart. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high 4-5. I was impatient (have I mentioned that I'm sick?) and cooked it on high for 3 1/2. The mushrooms would have been better if I had waited.

Taste. If you need more of the sour flavor, add more rice wine vinegar. If you need more of the hot flavor, add more red pepper flakes. I like my soup very hot and sour, so I added another 1 tablespoob of the vinegar and another 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper flakes. Garnish with sliced green onion.

The Verdict:

I could probably eat this all day long. So I did. My kids really like it--they eat the broth and the tofu and leave the rest. You could easily slip in lots more veggies that you have on hand---carrots, celery, those cute little canned corncobs, etc. Many recipes call for cooked chicken or pork, which would be a great addition if you have some on hand or wanted to meat it up.


other soup recipes you might like:

Thai Coconut
Moroccan Lentil
Jamaican Pumpkin
Restaurant Tomato
Potato Leek
French Onion Soup