Hot and Sour Soup

(makes a LOT. We eat it as a whole meal, then have leftovers for a day or two. Should be easy to make this in half or quarter batches.)

Boil 6-8 cups stock (or water and stock cubes to make the same).

Add to boiling stock any vegetables you like: Onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, baby corn, snow peas, spring onions, you name it. Add slower cooking/dried veggies first, veggies to remain crunchy at the end. Add enough to make it interesting, but not stew-like. I always add way more than a restaurant would, but I'm like that.

Hot red chillis: Know your chillis. Start with 1/2 tsp and work your way up, tasting until you think it's got enough bite. Keep in mind that cooking makes chillis hotter, so add them when you feel comfortable doing so.

1tsp ground or minced ginger

1 cup COLD water with 1/2 cup corn starch. Mix them together thoroughly with your finger tips to remove all lumps. Slowly pour into hot soup, stirring briskly all the while. Pouring too fast makes lumps that will never go away. If it starts looking too thick, stop pouring or add water after to adjust texture.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup soy sauce, depending on your taste preference.

Reduce heat

Add 1/2 to 1 cup red chinese vinegar, depending on how strong your vinegar is. This is the sour part of the soup.

1/4 cup sesame oil. The flavor will cook out, so sesame oil is to be added when cooking is done, prior to serving.

Serve, enjoy, modify as you like, let me know what works better

. Reheat leftovers gently, add more sesame oil if needed.

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hits since 20 January 2002