Serves 4
Can be made oil free, wheat/gluten free, and grain free.
The first time I tried hot and sour soup was years ago in Bali. I loved it, but once I was back home, I failed to find any version which came close to tasting like the ‘real deal’. Eventually I just came up with my own recipe and at last my taste buds were happily satisfied.
This delicious vegan version is very healthy but also very spicy, so if you don’t like the flavour too hot, I would recommend reducing the amount of chilli paste. You can also make it oil-free by simply omitting the oil and cooking the garlic and ginger in a quarter-cup of water instead, I just like the flavour the peanut oil gives.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
- 2 litres vegetable stock (we recommend using either homemade or the ready made, storebought liquid stocks for the best results)
- 200g mushrooms, sliced, stalks on
- 1 small can bamboo shoots, drained
- 1 medium-sized bunch bok choy (or other Asian greens of choice), sliced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp red chilli paste, or to taste
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh coriander (cilantro),
- finely chopped fresh mung bean sprouts, for garnish
Method
- Heat the peanut oil (or water, if omitting the oil) in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a minute, stirring so as not to let it burn.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat, then add in the sliced mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Throw in the bok choy, along with the rice vinegar, chilli paste, tamari and brown sugar and stir well, then simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes. At this stage, you can test your soup for seasoning and add more chilli paste if you would like more ‘zing’.
- Stir in the sliced spring onions and coriander and serve, topped with the mung bean sprouts.
